Prostate cancer is one of the deadliest types of men cancer in our country, it is estimated that one or two thousand men die every year for this reason. This disease mainly affects men over 75 years old and is rarely seen in those less than 40 years old. From that age it is recommended to be aware of any unusual symptoms that might indicate a problem, in addition to check-ups performed periodically.
Although cancer is complex to deal with, the fact is that if it’s overcome, the problems do not end there: there is a high probability that the patient will present erectile dysfunction after surgery and the therapies he has to be put through.
This situation is explained by Juan de Mendoza Armas, surgeon and medical director of the Medical Sex Center, a venue located in Providence who specializes in treating this and other sexual diseases.
According to de Mendoza, it is vital that men know in advance about the sexual problems that they may go through after their treatment for prostate cancer, as there are many men who go to this therapies without knowing the consequences. “Believe it or not, there are patients who are submitted to these procedures, and come here to the clinic to tell me ‘the doctor never told me this would happen’ he says.
In that sense, he says that it is quite important and indispensable that the physician gives proper advice to the patient that’s going to enter these treatments, and that part of this explanation of the pathology is focused on that area.
There are patients who had total recessions of the prostate and may even totally lose the ability to have erections. The good news is that, in most cases, you can perform treatments to regain the ability to have erections after prostate cancer.
There are many treatments to overcome erectile dysfunction, so you should consult a specialist to find out which is the most suitable for your particular case. These are usually performed during the first two years after cancer surgery, because if you do not have an erection after that time, you may have weakened the tissues.
The most common is the oral drug treatment called phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Another therapy available is penile injections, in which a substance having a local action facilitating erection is injected.
Also, if the aforementioned methods are not effective, there are other options such as vacuum devices (causing a vacuum that makes the penis fill with blood and an erection to occur) or placement of a prosthesis penis.
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