Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a medical condition that can affect your confidence, your sex life, and your relationship. It can happen to any man, but it gets more common with age.
When you have ED, it’s difficult to achieve or sustain an erection that’s strong enough for sexual intercourse. Chronic ED can take a toll on your quality of life and your relationship with your significant other — and, left untreated, the condition may continue to worsen.
ED can be embarrassing to discuss with your doctor, but it’s a medical condition that can be treated to improve your symptoms and your sex life. Members of the urology team at Advanced Urology, with offices in Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, and Culver City, California, are experts in ED, offering a range of treatment options that include penile prosthesis implants.
Read on to learn more about some of the questions we get from men who are curious about penile prosthesis implants.
Penile implants are a treatment option for men with persistent ED who haven’t found adequate improvement in symptoms with more conservative treatment options. ED is a common condition that increases with age, but the causes can vary.
Some men experience ED that comes and goes, or is the result of external factors like stress or relationship problems. Others have chronic ED that’s caused by physical or biological factors, and the condition doesn’t improve without treatment.
Common non-surgical treatments for ED include:
Many men find that these treatments are enough to improve their sex lives. But if you’ve tried them and still experience the inability to get or maintain an erection strong enough for sex, it might be time to consider a penile prosthesis implant.
When more conservative treatments aren’t enough to treat your ED, a couple of different types of penile implants may work to give you an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse.
This type of implant feels and works the most like a natural erection. It’s a two- or three-piece system that fills hollow cylinders in the penis with fluid via a pump placed in your scrotum.
When you’re ready to have sex, you squeeze the pump, creating an erection. After sex, you use the release valve to empty the cylinders, and your penis returns to a flaccid position.
If you’re not a candidate for an inflatable implant, a semi-rigid implant could be an option. This implant consists of two malleable rods placed in your penis. They’re always the same size, but they can easily be bent into an erect position for sex.
The purpose of a penile implant is to give you an erection that’s strong enough for sex. Both inflatable and semi-rigid implants support your penis in an erect position, but they don’t affect your sex drive or sensation during sex.
Penile implants don’t make your erection larger, and they don’t affect the head of the penis. In general, you can expect your penis to be about the same size or slightly smaller than it was before you got the implant, and sex shouldn’t feel different.
Our doctors may recommend considering a penile implant if you haven’t found other treatments for ED to be effective. We understand that ED can severely impact your relationship and your quality of life, and we’re here to help find a solution that works.
Talk to our team to learn more about penile implants and find out if this could be a good option for you, or book a consultation online today.
