ERECTION PROBLEMS: VEINS AND ARTERIES
In fact, it’s estimated that a million and a half American men can blame their erection problems on arteries and veins that don’t work properly. In one autopsy study, all men over age 38 had some narrowing of the arteries to the penis. Fortunately, however, that can largely be prevented with a healthy diet, proper exercise and general good health habits. (A small number of arterial-blockage cases occur when a man suffers a major trauma, such as an accident.) Some relatively rare diseases, like lupus, which affect the arterial system as well as other parts of the body, can also short-circuit erections by interfering with the blood-flow system.
Despite what you may have heard, even young men can have arterial disease, although it may take years before the damage presents itself in the form of erection problems or heart attacks. If you do develop blockage in the arteries supplying the penis, help is available. Usually, an implant will be the treatment of choice, but some patients can benefit from having a surgical bypass of the penile arteries.
Arteries, though, are only half the story—the way the blood enters the penis. But the blood has to stay there for you to be potent. For that you need healthy veins.
For years, doctors thought only malfunctioning arteries deserved the blame for blood-flow problems in the penis, but now doctors have found that many men suffering erection problems can place the blame on their veins. Why?
When a man’s penis is flaccid, the veins keep the blood flowing out of the organ as part of the normal blood circulation. But during erection, the veins, squeezed by the blood-filled sinuses, must shut down partially to keep blood in the penis so it will stay firm and erect. If the veins don’t shut down as they’re supposed to, a man will experience a disheartening situation. He may get no erection at all; he may find himself with an erection which just never gets really firm or he may get an erection that disappears before he and his partner have a chance to enjoy it. What causes this discouraging condition? Apparently, some men are born with leaky veins; their veins never or almost never function properly.
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