Men’s Sexual and Reproductive Health

ED is very common, affecting about 30 million men in the United States. As men get older, they are more likely to experience ED.

If you have ED, recognize that you are not alone. Also, there are many treatments available to help you regain your sexual function. At the Men’s Wellness Clinic, our team is committed to uncovering the cause of your ED and helping you improve your quality of life.

Yes, if you smoke, you are more likely to experience ED. And the more you smoke, the greater the impact is on your sexual health.

Fortunately, quitting can help you regain your function. At UChicago Medicine, we offer a comprehensive approach to smoking cessation if you are ready to make a change and take charge of your sexual health.

A penile prothesis, also known as a penile implant, is one of the latest treatments for ED and has very high success rates. There are two main types of implants: malleable and inflatable.

Malleable implants involve the placement of flexible rods along the length of the penis. This allows the penis to be moved into the erect position without a pump.

The most sophisticated options are inflatable implants, which also tend to be preferred by patients. During this procedure, the doctor will place a thin tube along the length of the penis and a small “balloon” with fluid inside the abdomen, as well as small “pump” inside the scrotum. When the man wants an erection, he presses the pump in his scrotum, which causes fluid to move from the balloon in his abdomen down the tube in his penis, causing an erection.

You may be a candidate for an implant if medications or other treatments for ED do not provide the results you hope to achieve. When performed at a leading center like UChicago Medicine, penile implants have very high success rates.

ED can be an early warning sign of heart and vascular issues. In fact, ED may precede a heart attack by three to five years in men. ED also can be a sign that a man’s blood sugar is not under control.

Fortunately, these conditions can be treated to address the ED and improve your quality of life. At the Men’s Wellness Clinic, we work with other specialists to determine the cause of your ED and develop the right treatment plan for you.

An enlarged prostate is not likely to cause ED. However, many men experience the problems at the same time. Also, surgery for an enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can contribute to ED. So can certain medications for BPH.

When you come to the Men’s Wellness Clinic, we can consider all the factors that may contribute to your ED and develop a treatment plan that addresses these various issues.

Men with low testosterone, or low T, may develop ED. They also may have a lower sex drive.

At the Men’s Wellness Clinic, we can help you understand the cause of your ED. If low testosterone is to blame, there are a range of treatments available that can help you improve your libido as well as your sexual function.

Peyronie’s disease is when a man has scar tissue in his penis that causes it to curve or change shape. This scar tissue is often the result of repeated injury to the penis during sex.

Men with Peyronie’s disease may have pain, erectile dysfunction and psychological distress from their condition. Fortunately, nonsurgical and surgical treatments can improve the curvature and other symptoms. We offer the full scope of these treatments at the Men’s Wellness Clinic.

Medical treatments can help men who are in the acute phase of PD to reduce inflammation and prevent the curve from getting worse. Medical treatments may include medications, injections and penile traction devices.

Surgical treatments involving removal of penile scars (plaques) with grafting penile reconstruction can provide definite treatment for Peyronie’s disease. In select cases when men have both erectile dysfunction and Peyronie’s disease, other surgical treatments like penile implants can help to correct their curvature and address erectile dysfunction, if that is an issue.

You and your doctor can discuss your treatment options, which may include medications that can relax muscles near your prostate or reduce the size of your prostate over time.

Minimally invasive surgery is a viable option. A number of procedures are available nowadays that can be performed in the doctor’s office, such as Rezum water vapor therapy, UroLift and iTind. These procedures allow urine to pass more easily through the urethra.

Two other slightly more invasive procedures include transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) or laser TURP. During a TURP, a urologist removes part of the prostate.

Many other treatment options are available, based on your age, overall health, size of your prostate and treatment goals.

At UChicago Medicine, we can provide an in-depth analysis of your fertility. We offer in-office, same-day semen analysis, which can provide valuable insights into your sperm count, motility (movement) and structure.

We also offer DNA fragmentation sperm tests, which can provide a more in-depth look at the quality of your sperm to understand the causes of infertility.

Once a cause has been determined, we will work with you and the rest of your care team to develop a plan to enhance your fertility.

Yes, research suggests that using cannabis can affect sperm counts, as well as the quality and shape of sperm. This can affect male fertility. However, quitting cannabis can help reduce these effects.

A certified sex therapist is a mental health professional who has been certified by the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). To receive certification, the therapist must complete 162 hours of core sexual health education, 300 clinical hours specific to a range of sexual health issues and 50 hours of clinical supervision. These rigorous standards help ensure that patients receive the best possible sexuality education and counseling to optimize their quality of life.

Sex therapists can play an important role in men’s wellness. They use specialized knowledge and clinical skills to help individuals and couples improve their sexual experience.

Sex therapy is very similar to other types of mental health counseling. The therapist will help the individual or couple develop a treatment plan based on the presenting sexual issue(s), such as painful sex, low desire or performance issues. You may meet virtually with the therapist every week, every other week or monthly.

The therapist may recommend exercises or homework for you to do, individually or as a couple, in between appointments. These are designed to improve communication and awareness of your own feelings as well as those of your partner.

Because treatment is highly individualized to each person or couple, it can be difficult to provide a general answer. However, most treatment lasts a few weeks or months.

Many men with ED can benefit from a specialized type of physical therapy known as pelvic floor therapy, which is available at UChicago Medicine. Strengthening specific muscles in the pelvic floor can help men maintain their erections. It also can improve issues like premature ejaculation.

No, it should never hurt. However, you may be a bit sore from exercising your muscles during therapy.

Each person is different, but we find that most men benefit from six to 12 sessions once a week or every other week. If you don’t see improvements after six weeks, we recommend returning to your urologist or other referring physician so they can re-evaluate your treatment plan and possibly recommend other tests.