About 91% of men with multiple sclerosis report difficulty achieving erections during sexual intercourse. The effects of multiple sclerosis in men potentially affect overall health and wellness.
What are the physical factors that lead to impotency in men with MS?
Multiple sclerosis varies from case to case. It is an autoimmune disease often associated with the demyelination of the nerve cells. The deterioration of the myelin sheath around the nerve cells often leads to the growth of scar tissue (sclerosis).
Nerve damage in multiple sclerosis can result to poor transmission of nerve impulses. Thus, men with MS receive poor visual, auditory or sensory sexual cues. As a result, neurological impulses may not effectively convert from the brain to the genitalia.
Multiple sclerosis often results to erection problems including impotence. There are several studies that will support how sexual dysfunction and MS affect men’s ability to achieve satisfactory erections.
In addition, multiple sclerosis has desensitizing effect in the penis that can result to poor sexual stimulation and lack of penile sensation.
Men with MS can also suffer with ejaculatory problems that limit the amount of semen discharges during orgasm. Also, multiple sclerosis can lead to retrograde ejaculation. This condition often results from false entry of semen into the bladder instead of the penis.
The losing orgasmic function can also result from MS. Therefore, sexual dysfunction and multiple sclerosis have a great impact on men’s sexual function.
Can psychological factors lead to impotence in men with MS?
Major depressive disorder is the chief cause of erectile dysfunction in men. Thus, men with multiple sclerosis often develop depression. Nerve damage may lead to depression as a result of the inability of the brain to process mood altering signals.
Depression can also occur as a result of medications for MS treatment. Also, it can result due to mental stress, body fatigue and poor sex life.
Although MS can have serious sexual disability, there are several treatments available to reverse impotence and fight erection problems. Physicians provide treatment options that address both the physiological and psychological impotence in men with MS.
Oral medications may be useful in treating ED. However, there are safe and effective alternative treatments for sexual dysfunction and impotence. This includes vasodilators, vacuum suction devices and intra-urethral suppositories.
Therefore, consult a doctor regarding the right treatment for sexual dysfunction and multiple sclerosis.
