Study: Less Sexual Desire Could Cause ED Years Later

Perhaps it would interest you to know that a sign that erectile dysfunction is on the way may come long before its physical onset.

That's right, and you can bet that the people Boston Medical Group are probably more familiar with this subject than anyone else.

Last year, the results of a study involving 800 men were reported, and it was discovered that when men had less in the way of sexual desires and thoughts, it translated into a greater likelihood of developing ED than those who had normal sexual thoughts and desires.

The idea, one supposes, is that those thoughts, or lack thereof, are perhaps the beginning of a process of sexual dysfunction. In a way, that makes sense, because of the natural connection between thoughts and action as a part of the sexual function in general.

The American Urological Association reported the findings at their annual meeting last year, and while we don't know why it took so long, the study in question took place between 1987 and 1997.

The group of men who took a survey and gave indications of reduced sexual desire were then re-visited and found to have ED at some level to a much more considerable degree.

For questions related to sexual desire and erectile dysfunction, please contact Boston Medical Group at any of its 21 offices nationwide.

Sexual Dysfunction and Depression

The correlation between sexual dysfunction and depression is among one of the most commonly discussed correlations in the sexual health realm. Many things can be attributed to this correlation.

Depression works in mysterious ways: Sometimes it's noticeable and sometimes you're diagnosed without ever seeing blatant symptoms. One side effect of depression (and sometimes the most recognizable) is that of a depleted sex drive.

When you are experiencing depression, neurotransmitters in your brain stop sending the proper messages to increase blood flow to your sex organs and therefore hinder sexuality. The imbalance of chemicals, trauma, and mood disorders among other things are some of the most common causes of a change in sexual health. SSRIs, or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, are often prescribed to patients suffering from depression, however, have many unwanted side effects including sexual dysfunction.

Depression can be treated in a number of ways. Excercise increases serotonin levels and helps many with the feelings associated with depression. Yoga and meditation, as well as group activities in the field of your choice, also have shown positive benefits. These options are ones that many take advantage of in order to avoid medications.

Another option is treating sexual dysfunction separately from depression. Often, the two can be involved in a negative feedback loop, and getting help for one condition can help alleviate the severity of the other.

Yoga Linked to a Healthier Sex Life

The Journal of Sexual Medicine recently reported that sexually unsatisfied women who practiced yoga saw improvements in their sexual arousal and desire as well as heightened climax. It has been said that yoga may effectively treat premature ejaculation in some men.

"Mindfullness" and Yoga focus on the awareness of the present moment in order to release tension, stress and anxiety. The idea of awareness of the "now" increased awareness of the body which eventually led to sexual goals in many yogis.

In 2007, The Journal of Sexual Medicine published a report in which 68 Indian men who suffered from premature ejaculation were given a choice of yoga-based, non-pharmacological treatment or Prozac. The men who chose yoga as a form of treatment, and practiced for an hour each day, "had both subjective and statistically significant improvements in their intra-ejaculatory latencies, similar to participants in the pharmacological treatment group."

Sexual Dysfunction in Trauma Victims

According to a recent study reported at the 2008 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons, 3,087 out of 10,122 survey respondents reported cases of sexual dysfunction after experiencing severe physical trauma.

Trauma, a serious or body-altering injury, had not been linked to sexual dysfunctions until recent years and findings now support the correlation. After becoming aware of the increased number of young trauma patients experiencing sexual dysfunction, University of Washington doctors decided to conduct a study on patients recovering from trauma. The study included both male and female patients and showed similar rates of sexual dysfunction regardless of the patients gender.

Said one of the study's leaders: "For most practitioners, both primary care and trauma physicians, sexual function is not on their radar screen and most often they think of erectile dysfunction in men. Sexual dysfunction is a complex and difficult topic for most practitioners to discuss. But sexual function is a major determinant of quality of life, impacts both men and women, and if physicians don't ask patients about their sexual health, the patients are unlikely to bring it up. This is something physicians should be asking their patients about because there are excellent medications that work in the majority of patients." The study aims to make trauma physicians aware of the findings.

Researchers are not sure why sexual dysfunction is so prevalent among trauma patients but they do suspect it might be related to the psychological effects of trauma and its life-changing limitations.

More Prostate Cancer Survivors Turning To Sexual Rehabilitation

According to a recent article in Medical News Today, more men are turning to Sexual Rehabilitation. Why?

Because of the technological advances since its debut, prostate cancer is being diagnosed earlier in men. Younger men are finding themselves tackling prostate cancer and coping with the effects.

For many men, prostate cancer can disrupt sexual activity and the ability to perform as they would have previously. The changes can be difficult to handle and men are finding alternative ways to improve their sex lives.

Many men, especially the younger demographic, are not fully prepared for the life style changes that take place after treating prostate cancer and many are hearing about "sexual rehabilitation."

Dr Michael Lowy from Sydney Men's Health says that " sexual rehabilitation services are an evolving and useful scientific and clinical branch of sexual medicine and urology" and recently presented these findings to the Clinical Oncolgoical Society of Australia.

In the years to come, sexual rehabilitation, accomplished through comprehensive treatment strategies, may be a term the public becomes more and more familiar with as techniques improve and stigma decreases.

Women's Libido Can Be An Issue Too

We stumbled across an article in psychology today recently, titled "5 Shocking Stats About Men and Sex." Besides containing some all-around solid information about topics like how often a man thinks about sex and the unreliability of penis-size surveys, the article also contained an interesting nugget about the nature of the female libido. Said the article:

"...As it turns out, the instant a woman enters a secure relationship, her sex drive begins to plummet. Four years in, a German study found, fewer than half of women wanted regular sex. And after 20 years, only 20 percent did. Among men, libido held steady no matter how long they'd been in the relationship. Researchers provide an evolutionary explanation—women's sex drive is initially high to facilitate pair bonding."

The takeaway? While it's incredibly important for men to seek help for decreased libido generally and erectile dysfunction specifically, the woman also has a part to play in the equation -- especially in a committed relationship -- and might consider seeking help as well.