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Senior Citizens & Sex
‘Use It or Lose It’ Theory Applies to Erectile
Function after Prostate Surgery
Harvard Med School says just letting nerves
heal can take too long
Aug. 16, 2007 - The traditional advice given to men
after surgery to remove the prostate - to wait for erectile function to
return on its own - may not be adequate. Simply put, erections seem to
work on a use-it-or-lose-it basis. To prevent the secondary damage that
may occur if the penis goes too long without erections, researchers now
think it’s better to restore erectile function soon after prostate
removal.
The prostate is the gland below a
man's bladder that produces fluid for semen. Prostate cancer, which
sometimes requires removal of the prostate, is the third most common
cause of death from cancer in men of all ages, although it primarily
occurs in older men.
Erectile dysfunction after surgery to remove the
prostate (radical prostatectomy) has traditionally been attributed to
nerve damage that theoretically should heal over time. But it can take
as long as two years for the nerves to recover enough for a man to have
an erection without the aid of drugs or devices. By that time, other
damage may have occurred, according to an article in the latest issue of
Perspectives on Prostate Disease.
The Harvard Medical School bulletin notes that when
the penis is flaccid for long periods of time, it is deprived of a lot
of oxygen-rich blood. Recent research suggests that this low oxygen
level causes some muscle cells in the penis’s erectile tissue to lose
their flexibility. The tissue gradually becomes more like scar tissue,
interfering with the penis’s ability to expand when it’s filled with
blood.
Treatment options to restore erectile function
include using a vacuum pump device or taking erectile dysfunction drugs
by mouth or by injection into the penis.
According to Dr. Marc Garnick, editor in chief of
Perspectives on Prostate Disease and a Harvard oncologist, “Although the
evidence supporting this ‘penile rehabilitation’ isn’t perfect, you may
want to ask your doctor about the options. Such early intervention may
help increase the odds that you will regain erectile function.”
Editor’s Notes:
Also covered in the 48-page report:
· ● Alternative therapies for prostate cancer
· ● Handling a prostate cancer relapse
· ● Surgical options for benign prostatic hyperplasia
>>
About Prostate Cancer from National Institutes of Health
A year’s subscription to Perspectives on Prostate
Disease is available for $99 (for print and electronic versions; $89 for
electronic only) from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing
division of Harvard Medical School. Order it online at
www.health.harvard.edu/POPD or by calling 1-877–649–9457 (toll
free).
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