Erectile Dysfunction Diagnosis: An Overview
- Ask a number of questions about your history
- Perform a physical exam
- Order some tests.
Erectile Dysfunction Diagnosis: Your Patient History
Medical and sexual histories help determine the degree and
cause of erectile dysfunction. Your medical history can identify diseases that lead to erectile dysfunction, while a simple discussion of sexual activity with your doctor might reveal problems with:
- Sexual desire
- Erection
- Ejaculation
- Orgasm.
Using certain prescription or illegal drugs can also be one of the causes of erectile dysfunction. In fact, drug effects account for 25 percent of erectile dysfunction cases. Cutting back on or substituting certain medications can often alleviate the problem.
Erectile Dysfunction Diagnosis: The Physical Examination
A physical examination can give your doctor clues to systemic problems. For example, if the penis is not sensitive to touch, there may be a problem with your nervous system. Abnormal secondary sex characteristics, such as hair pattern or breast enlargement, can point to hormonal problems, which would mean that the endocrine system is involved. Your doctor can determine if a circulatory problem is causing erectile dysfunction by observing decreased pulses in the wrist or ankles. And unusual characteristics of the penis itself could suggest the source of the problem -- for example, a penis that bends or curves when erect could be the result of
Peyronie's disease.
