How to Understand Painful Erections
When you're sexually aroused, your blood flow goes up, which causes the cells in your penile area to get bigger. However, experiencing pain during an erection is uncommon and requires medical attention. The term "priapism" refers to painful erections that can result from a variety of conditions that affect the flow of blood in the penis.
Reasons why erections hurt most of the time
If you have a painful erection, the following situations and things may be to blame:
- Blood Disorders: Some health problems that affect the blood can make it flow or clot differently, making erections painful.
- Medications: Some prescription and over-the-counter drugs, especially those used to treat high blood pressure, as well as some drugs used for fun, can cause priapism.
- Physical Trauma: If you hurt your penis, you could get an erection right away or later on that hurts because of internal bleeding or damage to the circulatory structures.
- Infections: If you have an infection in your urethra or urinary stream, it can cause inflammation, making you feel uncomfortable and hurt during erections.
- Hormonal Imbalances: If your hormones aren't balanced, it could affect how well your sexual tissue works.
Peyronie's disease is the main reason why erections hurt.
Peyronie's disease is one of the most common reasons why men have painful erections that won't go away. Inside the penis, there has been an abnormal growth of tough scar tissue that has caused it to curve. This situation can make it very hard to be sexually active and comfortable.
How common Peyronie's disease is and what its symptoms are.
Men over 40 are most likely to get Peyronie's disease; up to 10% of that age group has the problem. Some symptoms could include:
- Erection Pain: Because the scar tissue stops the erection from expanding normally, pain is typical during erections.
- Curvature: When fibrous patches are present, they can make the penis curve or bend in new ways.
- Erectile Dysfunction: This means that it can be hard to get or keep a full erection.
- Physical Changes: Other changes that can happen to the penis are shortening, lumps, indentations, and changes in the position of the penis.
Things that can cause Peyronie's disease
It is still not clear what causes Peyronie's disease. But there have been links with:
- Penile Injury: An injury that causes internal bleeding can set off the disease.
- Genetics: A history of the disease in the family may increase the risk.
- Environment: Dangers in the workplace and lifestyle could play a part.
- Connective Tissue and Autoimmune Disorders: These conditions have been linked to getting Peyronie's disease.
Seeking Medical Help
Peyronie's disease must be treated immediately after it is found. If you don't get care right away, the condition could get worse. There is no cure for Peyronie's, but the pain usually goes away on its own over time.
Options for Treatment and Management
- Medications: To control pain and possibly prevent plaque from forming.
- Supplements and Exercises: Some supplements and stretching exercises may help ease your symptoms.
- Surgical Interventions: In severe cases, surgery may be needed to correct significant penile deformities.
