What Your Erection Says About Your Health

Erectile dysfunction is rarely an isolated problem. It can be a warning sign of greater threats to men's health.

Once upon a time, erectile dysfunction was thought to be all in your head, the result of a psychological problem. Now we know that notion is for the most part false and that, more than a problem limited to having an erection, erectile dysfunction is almost always a warning sign of a more serious medical issue. In fact about 70 percent of erectile dysfunction is probably related to diabetes, kidney disease, and heart disease. And it can be traced to several other illnesses affecting men's health as well.

This is why, sexual performance aside, if you have erectile dysfunction, you should see your physician.

What Your Erection Says About Men's Health

Knowing the connection between erectile dysfunction and these other men's health issues will help you be proactive about your well-being:

    Heart disease. Since the penis is made up of blood vessels and spongy tissue, a problem with blood flow to the penis usually means there's already a problem with blood flow to other parts of the body that's gone undetected. Emerging science shows that erectile dysfunction can indicate other types of vascular or arterial disease, such as heart attacks and stroke. Studies have shown that men who have erectile dysfunction and no history of heart attack go on to have heart attacks sooner than their counterparts without erectile dysfunction.
    One such study, published in the journal Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey, looked at more than 1,400 men and found a strong association between erectile dysfunction and coronary artery disease in men. The researchers also concluded that the presence of erectile dysfunction in younger men was a strong risk factor for a future coronary event.
    It would be a good idea for anyone with erectile dysfunction to get screened for their cardiovascular risk factors, including cholesterol and blood pressure. In fact, when those underlying issues are corrected, many times the erectile dysfunction itself improves or could resolve.
    Diabetes. One of the worst complications of uncontrolled diabetes is nerve and blood vessel damage. Because both these functions are critical to maintaining an erection, it's not surprising that diabetes is tied to erectile dysfunction - men ages 45 and younger should know that erectile dysfunction is actually a significant warning sign of diabetes. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that men diagnosed with diabetes often experience problems with erectile dysfunction 10 to 15 years earlier in life than ED typically strikes. And overall, the incidence of ED among men with diabetes is high - according to a recent study of 555 Italian men with type 2 diabetes, about 60 percent had some form of erectile dysfunction, a much higher rate than among the general population. The study found that factors that can help control diabetes, such as good exercise and diet habits, were also helpful for erectile dysfunction symptoms.
    Thyroid diseases. The thyroid gland produces hormones that impact functions throughout the body. So when the thyroid gland is producing too many or too few hormones, your ability to get an erection can be affected. Erectile dysfunction is both a symptom of too much thyroid hormone (hyperthyroidism) and too little thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism). For hyperthyroidism, other symptoms to look for include anxiety, irritability, shaky hands, unexplained weight loss, rapid heart rate, and diarrhea. For hypothyroidism, expect to experience fatigue, listlessness, a slow heart rate, constipation, and weight gain.
    HIV. A review article that looked at the results of many studies of men with HIV found that rates of erectile dysfunction were higher among those in the HIV-positive community than in other men. The reasons for the higher rates of erection problems aren't completely known, but researchers theorize that it might be a combination of hormonal changes and psychological issues.
    Other health conditions. Erectile dysfunction can be tied to other health problems, including kidney disease, alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, other endocrine disorders, and neurologic disease. 

In each case, the disease can affect one or more of the mechanisms that affect the formation of an erection. For your sexual health and your overall health, you owe it to yourself to find out what's behind your erectile dysfunction and get the treatment you need.

Does Penis Size Matter?

Is bigger always better? When most people hear that question they either immediately or eventually think about penis size, and the more direct question that many men and women want to know, does penis size matter?

The reality is that sometimes penis size matters, and sometimes it doesn’t. There are those of us who have unique personal tastes (affectionately known as size queens), but others prefer variety. Some folks might be happy driving a Tercel one day and an SUV the next. Another key piece of information when talking about how much penis size matters, is making sure we know we agree on what is an average penis size.

Rather than rely on old sayings, fashion magazines, and the hundreds of emails in your inbox every day, let’s look at what research tells us about whether penis size matters?
Does Penis Size Matter to Women?
A survey of 556 women between the ages of 19-49 asked participants whether penis length and girth matter. The findings included:

    18% said penis length was very important, 22% said penis girth was very important
    57% said penis length was somewhat important, 53% said penis girth was somewhat important
    25% said penis length was unimportant, 25% said penis girth was unimportant

A major flaw of this study was that it did not specify an optimal size. So women who felt penis girth mattered may have different ideas of what the ideal penis girth is. The assumption might be bigger is better, but this isn’t confirmed by this study.

Another ingenious study, done by Canadians, had women read erotic passages and rate them on the steaminess of the passage. The only thing they altered was the size of the penis. While some respondents did score the larger penises to be hotter, the differences were not statistically significant. Indicating that in a fantasy realm at least, bigger may not necessarily mean more arousing and penis size may not matter as much as other things.

While there have been other surveys that have asked women about the importance of penis length and girth, and most report that where this is a preference, girth is reported as more important then length, there doesn’t seem to be any academic research that actually addresses what size is preferable. If there were such research we could expect, of course, there to be great variability in size preferences.
Does Penis Size Matter to Men?
There is no question that men have a preoccupation with penis size. Most men seem to think penis size matters, and many worry about the size of their penis at some point in their lives. There have been several studies that have confirmed that men’s perception of penis size is skewed:

    An Internet-based survey of 52 031 heterosexual men and women found that while 85% of women were satisfied with their partners’ penis size, but only 55% of the men were satisfied with their penis size.
    Several studies that have asked men to evaluate the size of their penis, compare it to “normal” and then have actually measured their penis size, have shown that most men underestimate the size of their penis, and overestimate what is average penis size.
    Studies have also shown that men tend to compare penises in a way that is likely to end up with negative evaluation (e.g. they compare flaccid penis to an erect penis).
    One study of men who were seeking penile enlargement surgery found that most of the men had penises that were in the average size range, despite their belief that they had unusually small penises.

It seems from what research we have, that men think penis size matters more than women. Which begs the question, Why do guys worry and talk about penis size so much?

One answer is that we’re still stuck in this penis-centered idea of sex, where great sex comes solely from a man doing unbelievable things with his penis.

Let’s remember first, that lots of people are having great sex with no penis involved at all! And beyond that, most women don’t orgasm from penetration at all, so most orgasms are not being produced from a penis of any size. I think we still focus on penis size, because we still think that a dick is the measure of a man. And this is the worst misconception of all.