Erectile Dysfunction Test
Erectile dysfunction (ED) can happen to any man, regardless of age. Individuals often ignore the condition, dismissing their symptoms as an inevitability. Others are unwilling to discuss ED. Overlooking erectile dysfunction can hurt your self-esteem, relationships, and overall health.
ED is a medical condition that requires medical consultation and treatment. It’s critical to determine the cause of the condition because it could be a symptom of a more serious underlying health problem.
Doctors have refined their diagnostic techniques and have excellent protocols for identifying the cause of a man’s ED. Read on to learn about the exams and tests used to pinpoint the nature of ED. Understanding the condition will make conversations with your doctor easier and help you recognize its symptoms.
What is Erectile Dysfunction?
ED is a medical condition in which a man is unable to achieve an erection that is hard or long-lasting enough for sex. Strong erections require adequate hormone levels, healthy circulation, and effective nerve activity.
Multiple physiological and psychological factors contribute to ED. Age, overall health, vascular or hormonal conditions, and emotional wellness can individually or collectively cause ED.
Erectile Dysfunction Symptoms
The hallmark symptom of ED is a change in or absence of erections. For many men, this means they cannot become hard enough for sex when they are aroused. Soft or partial erections are still considered ED.
The symptoms can be constant or intermittent. The cause of ED impacts the extent and seventy of the symptoms. In addition to erection quality, lowered sex drive and withdrawal from relationships are often signs of ED. These symptoms often result from loss of testosterone or stress created by difficulty with erections.
Assessing yourself for the frequency and extent of your ED symptoms is essential for helping your doctor plan the best treatment. Men often ignore their symptoms or dismiss them as a normal part of life.
How Do Doctors Diagnose Erectile Dysfunction?
Doctors can conduct many simple examinations and tests to diagnose ED. Since there are so many causes of ED, they typically begin with the simplest and then rule out potential contributing factors.
Medical and Sexual History
The doctor will conduct a brief interview to determine your baseline health and medical history, the nature of your erections, how they have changed, and possible factors that could contribute to ED from your sexual history. Trauma from sports, certain STDs, and other medical conditions all contribute to ED.
Physical Exam
The doctor will conduct a physical exam of the penis and testicles to rule out an anatomical problem, check your prostate based on your age, measure your blood pressure, and complete other cardiac assessments. The exam is painless and helps the physician rule out a physiological cause of your ED.
Mental Health Exam
A mental health exam is used to assess your psychological and emotional well-being. In many cases, stress, anxiety, or depression may be responsible for ED. The doctor will ask about your mood, thoughts, and stress levels. It’s advisable to be open and honest to help them accurately assess possible causes.
Blood Test
The doctor will order a simple blood test depending on your presentation, age, and symptoms. The lab will check your testosterone levels, cardiac markers, thyroid levels, and metabolic factors to assess whether there’s a biochemical cause for your ED.
Urine Test
A urine test measures sugar levels to assess you for diabetes, a major ED risk factor. The test also checks your prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and protein levels to rule out prostate or kidney trouble as a possible cause of ED.
Ultrasound
A physician may order a penile doppler, which uses ultrasound technology to visualize the circulation into the penis. They will inject a drug that induces erection and monitor the blood flow into and out of the penis.
The results will show whether or not the blood vessels are functioning adequately enough for you to obtain an erection. The ultrasound takes about 30 minutes.
Nocturnal Erection Test
Physicians use nocturnal erection tests, sometimes called nocturnal penis tumescence (NPT) tests, to rule out a psychological cause of ED. Men typically have three to five full erections during a night’s sleep.
You’ll either test at home or in a sleep lab to assess if you have erections at night. If you do, it likely indicates the ED results from stress, anxiety, depression, or another psychological or emotional factor.
Injection Test
Injection testing involves injecting a chemical into the cavity in the penis that fills with blood during an erection to see if the penis is anatomically capable of becoming erect. These tests are performed in-office and the drug wears off in a few hours.
When to See a Doctor
No matter your age or the severity of your symptoms, if you are unsatisfied with the quality and longevity of your erections, it’s time to consult a physician. The best way to manage ED is with a proper assessment.
Experienced providers have the insight to assess the physical, psychological, and behavioral factors that may be impacting your erections. Following a comprehensive exam, you and your doctor can plan an appropriate course of treatment.
See results on your first visit.
90% of the time ED can be treated and treated effectively.
November 23, 2022
Written By
Jake Peter
Fact-checked By
Dr. Avidon Appel
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