The Progress of Treatment: Male Sexual Impotence

Although male sexual dysfunction continues to be a sensitive and embarrassing problem to deal with, men today are much more likely of receiving treatment than they were just a few years ago. The progress of treatment is directly linked to the climate of greater honest and openness about common health problems. Indeed, male sexual dysfunction is a quite a common complaint. It is estimated that most men will experience some bouts with sexual impotence in their lifetime. Now, with the popularity of Viagra and other treatment options, it appears that we've attained a level of honesty and openness about this condition that was not previously possible.

Indeed, a man who suffered from sexual dysfunction twenty years ago stands in a much different place than a man with the same problem now. It is estimated that in the 1960s roughly only one percent of men sought out treatment for problems related to sexual dysfunction. The progress of treatment has been incredible. In the last 40 years, advances in the study of male sexual dysfunction have yielded a number of new treatment options that are both safe and effective. The public's increased awareness and openness concerning male sexual dysfunction has also changed the way we approach treatment. In some ways, some health experts assert, the evolution of treatment for male sexual dysfunction mirrors the evolution of health science during the past 40 years.

In the past, treatment for erectile dysfunction and other male sexual dysfunction problems could be crude and unsafe. One of the treatment options for men 40 years ago consisted of penile implants. Nowadays, we view this sort of treatment as crude and unnecessarily invasive. In the 1960s, penile implants consisted of implanting plastic devices in the penis that in short would 'force' the penis into an erection. It may not be surprising to hear that penile implants were riddled with problems and side effects. The most common side effects included infection and mechanical problems. As the treatment for male sexual dysfunction grew, new options became available. A man who sought treatment in the 1970s might have been confronted with one of the most common treatment options of the day: a hydraulic device that would be implanted into the penis. This device allowed the patient to achieve an erection through an inflating mechanism. A small valve pump was implanted in the scrotum. The valve pump allowed the device to inflate at the appropriate time, and the hydraulic aspect of the device allowed for the movement that allowed the patient to simulate an erection. Like the penile implants, these hydraulic inflatable devices were also not ideal. One of the major complaints of these devices is that they could leak. In the 1980s, men who sought treatment for sexual dysfunction might have been offered another kind of treatment. Penis injections became more common during this period. This treatment consisted of a physician injecting alpha-blocker injections into the penis. The alpha-blockers allowed greater blood flow into the penis.

Now, the preferred treatment of choice is the use of drug therapies. Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra some of the most common drugs prescribed to men suffering from sexual dysfunction. Although they only offer a temporary fix to a chronic problem, they are generally considered safe, easy to take, and effective.

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