Erectile Dysfunction: Infertility in men, causes, treatment and how to conceive with ED issue, know all

Infertility in men: To better deal with such conditions, you need to know their causes and what you can do to conceive. We spoke to Dr. Apurva Satish Amarnath, Fertility Consultant at Nova IVF Fertility, Bangalore, who told us how to overcome this problem and conceive

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Erectile dysfunction is a condition in which a man is unable to keep his erection long enough for satisfactory sexual intercourse, which can happen in the short or long term. It affects a lot of men around the globe and is caused by physical and psychological factors. 

Though it doesn't directly cause infertility, for men who are trying to conceive, erectile dysfunction can lead to it by making the process much more difficult. To better deal with such conditions, you need to know about their causes and what you can do to conceive. Let's have a look.

Causes of erectile dysfunction – It deals with the men's process of sexual arousal and that's complex to understand as it involves several physical and mental aspects of the body. Starting from the brain and hormones to the nerves and blood vessels, it is associated with several body systems and any of them can be the cause behind erectile dysfunction. The chances of developing such complications increase with age with the decreasing levels of testosterone and blood flow in the body.

Other factors like obesity, tobacco use, sleep disorders, pelvic surgery, and neurological disorders can negatively impact the normal process of sexual arousal. Psychological factors too have a significant effect on it. Like people with anxiety or depression find it difficult to do sexual activity due to erectile dysfunction. Apart from this, relationship issues are also the leading factor for couples not being able to conceive. This can include poor communication, lack of emotional intimacy, and performance anxiety.

How to conceive?
If erectile dysfunction is an obstacle to your ability to conceive, then there are several other options that you can go for. Intrauterine insemination is a popular treatment among such couples, this procedure involves placing sperm directly into your partner’s uterus around the time their ovary releases eggs. Freezing and preserving sperm also helps in preserving your fertility. Another option that couples can go for is testicular sperm extraction (TESE) or testicular sperm aspiration (TESA). These procedures involve surgically retrieving sperm from the testicles. The sample can be preserved and used for treatments like IVF later. 

Electroejaculation is a process by which ejaculation is induced in people who are suffering from erection problems especially because of spinal cord injury or nerve damage. This process is proven to be helpful for such men. 

Conclusion – Erectile dysfunction can come up with a lot of mental and relationship problems in your life, but you should that such cases are really common and can be dealt with pretty easily with the help of medical technology.

Though all the processes mentioned above work great when it comes to dealing with erection complications, the best dealing method out there must be adopting a healthy lifestyle. Minor changes in your lifestyle like eating well, limiting sugar and alcohol intake, exercising regularly, and addressing underlying mental health issues can greatly impact your sexual performance.