 What exactly is male impotence?
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Impotence means that a man is unable to have a penile erection of satisfactory firmness or duration for normal sexual activity. |
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How common is impotence?
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Over 50 percentage of men over 50 are impotent. Many men are embarrassed to seek treatment, and some are not aware that impotence can be successfully treated in almost all cases. |
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Is impotence usually psychological, or "all in your head"?
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Impotence is most often due to physical (organic) causes. Few men have purely psychological impotence. |
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How can you determine what my specific problem is?
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At the first visit, we will obtain your medical and sexual history and perform a urological examination. Additional studies may also be recommended. |
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Is any testing required?
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Blood and urine tests are often needed to measure your hormone levels and to check for diabetes and prostate cancer. Measurement of your sleep erections, penile blood flow and nerves related to sexual activity may also be ordered. |
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What about male hormone "testosterone" shots or patches?
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Male hormone supplements only help if your hormone level is low. Most men have normal male hormone levels. |
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I want sex to be natural and as spontaneous as possible. Are any other treatment options available?
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Penile implants give the most rigid and reliable erection and can be used as often as you like. |
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What is injection therapy?
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There are certain medications such as Prostaglandin E-1 which can induce an erection when injected into the penis. You must inject everytime you want an erection. |
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You mentioned penile implants, tell me more?
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Penile implants have been available for more than 30 years. There are several non-inflatable and inflatable types. All implants are completely internal. After you have healed, the genitalia look normal and most men and their partners are not aware of the implant. The implant gives an excellent, reliable erection and the inflatable models give a natural-appearing penis when inflated and deflated. The success rate of penile implantation is over 95%. |
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How safe are penile implants?
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The complication rate is low. Many men with diabetes and heart disease (frequently present in men with impotence) can tolerate this procedure if they are properly evaluated and treated beforehand.
For most men, this is an ambulatory procedure not requiring an overnight hospital stay. |
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Have you implanted many men?
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Over the last 20 years, I have implanted more than 1,000 men and have taught urologists how to perform the surgery and have demonstrated this surgery abroad. |
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