MEN`S HEALTH ISSUES

Understanding Impotence

2011-12-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

Impotence is a term that has mostly fallen out of use, in favor of the more descriptive and clinical term erectile dysfunction, although it is still used at times in both in popular culture and by some physicians when talking about sexual dysfunction in males (for example, there is still a medical journal called The International Journal of Impotence Research).

What Is Impotence?

The way it's used today, impotence refers in general to a man's inability to perform sexually, and specifically to his inability to get an erection. Of course, impotence has many other meanings, including powerless, helplessness, weakness, etc... The inaccurate idea that if a man can't get an erection, he has no sexual power, is what makes impotence such a dangerous but also popular term. It's a word that strikes fear in the hearts of those who are worried it might happen to them, and causes pain when it's directed at someone as an insult.

Impotence isn't an accurate term because the truth is that men have sex all the time with and without erections, and a man's sexuality or power isn't related to just one part of his body. When we confuse ability to get erections with ability to give and receive sexual pleasure, we make worse a complicated and common sexual complaint -- an inability to get an erection that is satisfactory for sexual pleasure.

In order to understand why erections don't work, you need to understand the basics of how erections work. Getting an erection involves multiple parts of your body, including your brain, nerves, hormones, muscles, and heart. Anything that interrupts this any of these systems may result in what gets called impotence.

Causes of Impotence

Because erections involve multiple systems, there are often multiple causes of impotence, even for one man. Causes of impotence are often broken down into different categories. These include:

Physical Causes:

Diabetes
High blood pressure
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson's disease
Heart disease
Conditions that affect thyroid function and/or interrupt hormones in the body
Spinal cord injuries
Injuries to the groin (recent research also points to consistent but mild trauma related to cycling)
Colon surgery
Hemodialysis
Prostatectomy
Other treatments for prostate, penile, and rectal cancers, including some chemotherapy and hormone treatments
Medications for high blood pressure, heart disease, and some antidepressants
Alcohol
Marijuana
Cocaine
Tobacco

Psychological Causes:

Depression
Stress
Sexual performance anxiety
Relationship problems (which may or may not be related to sex)

Treatments for Impotence

Once you've determined the cause or causes, there are various treatment options, including:

Medications to treat impotence
Products
Penile rehabilitation
Surgery
Sex therapy
Natural remedies

What Should I Do If I Think I'm Impotent?

If you are experiencing difficulty with erections, the first step should be to speak with a doctor. Erectile difficulties may be an early warning sign of other potentially serious health problems -- your body's way of telling you that something else is going on. It's important to understand what might be causing the changes in your erections.

In addition to seeing a physician, you may want to consider speaking with a therapist or counselor, and perhaps a sex therapist. Sex therapists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of sexual dysfunctions. If you see a sex therapist, you'll also need to get a medical exam, but a therapist will likely have more information than your regular doctor about the details of sexual dysfunction.

One of the most difficult aspects of erectile difficulties is the way that our thoughts and feelings can perpetuate our difficulties. We all have the right to use language we want to describe ourselves. But you may want to consider how describing this problem as impotence, or calling yourself impotent, is actually working against your goal of feeling positive about yourself and your ability to both give and receive sexual pleasure.

What Should We Call Impotence?

The term impotence is already in the process of disappearing from medical literature (although it's a slow process). Impotence is a problem in part because of the way it makes men feel, and also the message it explicitly sends about sexual power being only about erections. Impotence is also a problem because it isn't precise. This might be fine for literature, but if you're trying to isolate and solve a health problem, the more precise you can be, the better. So impotence should be called whatever it actually is. If it's erectile dysfunction, call it that. If it's premature ejaculation, call it that. If it's a bad relationship, or a bad year, call it that.

Source: About.com

Changes in Men's Sex Life Due to Aging

2011-12-14T11:41:00.000-08:00

Sex and Aging for Men: Main Changes

Primarily due to a drop in testosterone, men will experience changes in their sexual function as they age. These changes include (see sex tips for the older man for tips on dealing with these changes):

Fewer sperm are produced
Erections take longer to occur
Erections may not be as hard
The ‘recovery time’ (time between erections) increases to 12 to 24 hours
The force of ejaculation decreases
Sexual desire decreases are due to emotional reasons or health problems

Decreased Testosterone

As a man ages, his testosterone levels decrease. Typically this decrease in testosterone stabilizes around age 60. Testosterone decrease is the primary reason for many of the conditions listed above. Testosterone replacement therapy is becoming popular for addressing concerns of aging men. This type of hormone treatment is controversial and should be approached with caution. Increasing muscle mass through exercise and proper nutrition can help maintain a healthy testosterone level.

Cardiovascular Disease, High Blood Pressure and Male Sexual Health

These health conditions alter how the blood flows in the body. When the arteries become narrower and harder, blood does not flow as freely. This can be troublesome for men trying to achieve an erection, as erections depend on the ability of blood to fill the penis. Controlling high blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases through lifestyle change and medication can improve sexual performance.

Diabetes and Male Sexual Health

Many men with diabetes have normal sexual lives. However, diabetes can cause impotence, the inability to have sex. Men with diabetes are approximately three times more likely to experience erectile dysfunction than men without diabetes. They also experience this condition approximately 15 years earlier than men without diabetes. If you have diabetes and are having trouble maintaining an erection, talk to your doctor. Many medications can help.

Pain and Male Sexual Health

Many health conditions such as arthritis, back pain and shingles can interfere with sex by causing pain that may make sex uncomfortable. These conditions also can alter your mood, sleep habits and attitudes. Experimenting with different sexual positions and techniques can help. You can also talk with your doctor about managing pain.

Incontinence and Male Sexual Health

Incontinence is the loss of bladder control which can cause urine leakage. This condition becomes more common as people age. Often leakage occurs during exercise, laughing or coughing. During sex, extra pressure is placed on your bladder. Men with an incontinence condition may be afraid to have sex. By controlling incontinence through medical or behavioral approaches, the chance of leakage during sex can be greatly reduced.

Medications and Male Sexual Health

Some of the medications prescribed to treat common age-related health conditions can interfere with sex. Some blood pressure medicines, antidepressants and diabetes drugs can make it more difficult for men to maintain an erection. These medications can also reduce sexual desire. You may be able to use alternative medications if you experience these side effects. Talk to your doctor.

Prostatectomy: Prostate Surgery

A prostatectomy is a surgical procedure that removes some or all of a man’s prostate. This is often done to treat prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate. A consequence of this surgery can be incontinence or impotence. Before undergoing a prostatectomy, be sure to talk to your doctor about any concerns you have about your sex life.

The Bottom Line

If you are not satisfied with your sexual ability, talk to doctor. Changes in your medication, managing your health conditions and treatment of sexual problems may help.

_Source:

National Institute on Aging. Bound For Your Good Health: Sexuality in Later Life. NIH Publication Number 05-7185.

Bad Reporting on Sex Research: Average Penis Size

2011-11-27T00:47:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons that it's so difficult to find accurate global data on average penis size is that measuring penises is a lot more complicated than you might think.

Where do you start, literally? As it turns out everyone seems to measure differently, with different techniques from different staring points, which makes it difficult to compare data across studies. The media also seems to be endlessly fascinated with talking about penis size (I wonder why), and can sometimes take perfectly reasonable research and twist it into something both misleading and misguided.

Take this example:

I came across a Reuters headline on MSNBC.com informing me that "condoms a big problem for men in India." In contemplating all the things that are wrong with the headline alone, I had to wonder: Are news editors just a bunch of men who giggle at the word "penis?" Are they so enamored by their juvenile distractions that they forget how to do math and uphold an unbiased view of different races?

The article is about a two-year study, conducted by the Indian Council of Medical Research, which set out to determine the average penis size of men in India. It is a gloss of a slightly longer, but still bewildering article published in the Times of India.

It reported that most study participants' penises measured 126 to 156 mm in length; 30% measured between 100 and 125 mm. According to the authors, these sizes are significantly smaller than average condom sizes and, therefore, condoms need to be smaller for Indian men. According to the Times of India piece, the council was to make recommendations regarding new condom sizes a few months later (although I doubted from the start that this was true.)

Now, I could be generous and consider the reason for such an absurd statement to be published in a legitimate news source to be the same old story -- when it comes to any sex content, the editorial gaze fogs over and any old rubbish will be printed.

In this case, I should write a letter to Reuters and the Times of India and explain the following:

Condom sizes are universally larger than average penis size. This is true in Europe, North America, and India. Condoms are significantly longer than the average penis length, and are designed to stretch and accommodate average penis width.
Measuring penis size is in fact a difficult and somewhat contentious subject. One of the reasons that it's so hard to arrive at accurate averages is that everyone measures differently.
That said, the reported penis size averages for the non-representational sample of 1,400 men in this study fall very much within the Western averages.
While ill-fitting condoms are indeed one reason for condom failure and failure to use condoms in the first place, making condoms smaller will not necessarily fix this problem.

But let's say, on the other hand, that I'm not feeling generous. I'm feeling cynical and bitter about mainstream media's treatment of sexuality. I think to myself: "This sure sounds familiar. Let me think. Who were the last people to seriously correlate genitalia with race?" In this case, I should write a letter to Reuters and the Times of India and remind them of the following:

The last group who carefully documented the relationship between genitalia and race were the colonial "scientists", not exactly the folks any of you want to emulate.
In all this reporting, there is confusion between biological origin and citizenship. Suggesting this study applies to all Indian men suggests that every male living in India is the same and has the same background. The generalization being made here is like saying that all American men are white.
I shouldn’t have to point this out to a group of educated news people, but penis size simply is not a salient characteristic from which we can extrapolate anything in regard to race. In fact, let’s not forget that the physical parameters of race are, to an extent, arbitrary. And the variety inside any group is just as likely to be robust as the variety between groups.

In the end, I prefer to think of these articles as another example of how -- when it comes to reporting on sex -- journalists and editors consistently phone it in (and not in a legitimate way.) I don’t know why I find it less depressing to consider them infantile instead of racist, but I do.

Source: About.com

Ejaculation Mastery

2011-11-20T22:33:00.000-08:00

A major tenet in Tantric beliefs is the importance of ejaculation mastery. Many ancient gurus believed ejaculation was a waste of vital life energy, so men were taught to condition themselves to preserve their seminal fluid and to release it as infrequently as possible. This was because of the great drain on physical energy and vital force when a man ejaculates. It was also believed that men should instead use that energy as fuel for awakening the higher chakra centers and thus to move on to enlightenment.

As a result, traditional Tantric men became experts at controlling (and avoiding) ejaculation. Sometimes this involved considerable effort or complicated processes. One Tantric text describes a specific elaborate pattern of strokes of movements that, if the man followed them exactly, were said to prevent him from reaching a level of excitement that would allow ejaculation to occur. Other techniques were extremely simple, such as pressing the tongue against the roof of the mouth.

Men would also delay orgasm in order to prolong the sexual union until they were certain they had pleased their goddess (satisfied their female partner). It was also commonly believed that keeping his penis inside the woman for as long as possible without ejaculating enabled the man to absorb some of the woman's vital life juices and powerful energy.

Today, there is some division on the importance of ejaculation (or avoidance of ejaculation). Some still believe it is important to completely avoid ejaculation, while others disagree. Men understand that they are not going to “run out” of seminal fluid. However, it is still considered important to delay the orgasm as long as possible, in order to allow for a long, satisfying sexual encounter.

The easiest and most common way to avoid ejaculation is simply the start-and-stop technique. Just like it sounds, with this technique the man participates in sex as usual, until he gets to the point where he feels he is about to ejaculate. He then stops completely, and perhaps even squeezes or puts pressure on his penis to help the urge to ejaculate subside a bit. Once the urge to ejaculate has receded somewhat, the man can then proceed with the lovemaking process. He can continue with this start/stop pattern until he is ready to ejaculate (or if it becomes uncomfortable), at which point he should allow himself the release.

Other techniques that are said to sometimes help in delaying a man's orgasm include pressing on the perineum (spot between scrotum and anus) or pulling gently on the testicle right before orgasm is about to occur. Both of these techniques should be performed carefully and gently, to avoid pain or injury.

Source: About.com

How To Talk to Your Partner About Your Sexual Issues or Concerns

2011-11-14T08:08:00.000-08:00

Whether we are in a brand new relationship or have been married for forty years, when it comes to talking with our partners about sex, panic can often set in.

When we imagine the potential for rejection and drama, taking a risk like that with someone we love can often feel too great. This is probably the reason so few of us do try to share the really difficult stuff of our sexual lives. Here are ideas on raising those hard-to-raise issues.

Difficulty: Hard

Time Required: Allow as much time as possible.

Here's How:

Clarify the Issue for Yourself
Sex is complicated, your feelings may have as much to do with your own baggage and history as with your partner. If something is on your mind, sit with it for a while and clarify what doesn’t feel right. Some people find that writing a helpful way to do this; others will talk with close friends. The point of this is not to start complaining to others or placing blame. The exercise is all about you and how you feel.

Try to Write it Down
Don’t worry about floral language or grammar. Writing down what you want to talk about is a great step to clarify your issues for yourself and practice the way you might communicate it to your partner. Some people actually write their partner a letter, and end up giving it to them at a later point. Letter writing can be a powerful way to communicate your thoughts and feelings, and if done along with talking it can increase intimacy in a relationship in surprising ways.

Practice the Talk
This doesn't work for everyone, but if you’re nervous about talking it can help to do some practice talking. If you have a good friend you can do this with, great. If not, going through it on your own can help. Before every major “talk” I’ve ever had to do, I sit down in front of my computer screen and practice. If my monitor could talk, it would probably tell me to get a life, but it’s a great tool for me (and I’m pretty sure my monitor is too old a model to be talking).

Consider Your Timing
One of the most important considerations is when to talk. This will depend a lot on what you are talking about. If you want to raise the idea of trying something new in bed, then raising it just before you’re about to be intimate with your partner is probably not a good time. Ditto for raising your dissatisfaction with the frequency of your sex life minutes before your kids are due home (or your in-laws are coming over).

Choose Your Location
As with timing, location can make a difference. Bringing up sexual dissatisfactions in bed can be a bad move as it may create an association of negativity in your bed. Both you and your partner may also feel more vulnerable in bed than you would having the conversation fully clothed, out for a late-night walk.

Allow Time for Processing
Remember that your partner may be surprised by what you are saying. Give both of you the time and space to respond honestly without having to feel rushed or pressured. You may not be able to completely resolve the issue, or even talk about all the aspects of the issue in one sitting. Think about sexual communication as an ongoing process, not a one-shot deal.

Be Generous
No matter how hard it is for you to bring up your sexual concerns, if you are the only one raising them, consider that it may be even harder for your partner. If you can, try to be generous with your partner and try not to place the blame too heavily on either of you. There are two of you in the relationship, and ultimately both of you need to take responsibility for what is happening.

Check In Afterwards
Sometimes we can make ourselves so anxious about bringing something up with a partner, and then it goes not quite as bad as we thought, and we’re relieved, so we want to just move on. Give yourself permission to bring the topic up again. Don’t do it in a nagging way, but make it clear that your partner that you care about how they feel and you want to check in with them about how the conversation went.

Tips:

Keep in mind that every situation is different. These are general tips and your situation may call for many additional considerations.

Remember that your imagination can be your worst enemy when it comes to taking risks like this. The reality is that the response is almost never as bad as you think it will be, and talking openly about your sexual feelings, desires, likes and dislikes, can not only improve your sex life with your partner, it can improve other aspects of the relationship.

Source: About.com

Curvature of the Penis

2011-11-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

What is Peyronie's Disease?

Peyronie's disease is a condition where the penis bends. The bend is most apparent during an erection. This condition can be painful and can be difficult to treat. Peyronie's disease is thought to occur in about one per cent of the male population and although it is most common between the ages of 45 to 60 it can happen in the young and the elderly. Because men, in general, tend not to seek medical attention unless the condition is severe, it is a condition that is probably under reported.

Signs and Symptoms of Peyronie's Disease

The onset of signs of the Peyronie's disease can be sudden or slow and can vary in severity.

Curvature of the penis is often associated with accompanying pain as the penis becomes increasingly distorted. A bend in the penis, usually at the top of the shaft causes an upward bend. Curvatures can also appear at the bottom of the penis shaft causing a downward bend. Most angulations are up or down.

In rare cases hardening of tissue can occur on the top and the bottom and if this happens the penis may shorten. The hardening of the tissue is in an area called the tunica albuinea, the sheath surrounding the erectile tissue. Unfortunately in some men this condition can cause impotence or an incomplete erection.

Causes of Peyronie's Disease

The cause of Peyronie's disease is unknown but there are a number of factors that are important.

Injury. Peyronie's disease can develop following trauma or injury to the penis. Injury may happen during very vigorous sexual intercourse, forceful bending of the penis can cause tissue tearing and scarring. The injury may be as a result of a medical procedure, e.g. catheterization in which a tube (the catheter) is passed into the bladder to pass urine, or cystoscopy, when the surgeon looks into the bladder following a prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland).

Inherited abnormality. It is thought that there is a genetic component to this condition. Peyronie's disease is more common in men with family members who also have the condition or who have a disease called systemic lupus erythematosus (a connective tissue disorder). Thirty per cent of men with Peyronie's disease also develop a condition called Dupuytren's contracture where hardened tissue develops in the hands.

Vitamin E deficiency has been associated with the Peyronie's disease.

Peyronie's disease is a rare side effect of an antihypertensive drug called Inderal (propanolol).

Diabetes. Diabetes-related damage to the blood vessels in the penis has been associated with Peyronie's disease.

Infection. Inflammation in cases of severe vasculitis further suggests a vascular (blood vessels) cause for Peyronie's disease.

Source: About.com

Why Is My Penis So Small

2011-11-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Many men think their penis is small, often too small. Research confirms that heterosexual men worry about penis size more than women do, and are more dissatisfied with the size of their own penis than women are with their partners’ penis size. Changing your feelings about penis size won't happen over night. But a good place to start is understanding why it is that you think your penis is so small. Here are some of the common reasons.

Early Penis Sightings

For some men the first time they see penises as adolescents will be seeing a male parent or caregiver naked. The difference in genital size between adults and children, plus the angle that most kids will see an adult penis from seeing something from below can make it look bigger) can influence and skew our first understandings of penis size.

Locker Room Syndrome

Most heterosexual boys and men don’t see too many penises outside of the change room or locker room, and possibly home if there are male siblings or parents in the house. Checking out other men’s penises in a locker room situation carries many pitfalls. For one, you rarely get a chance to take a really good look. As well, the size of a flaccid penis may vary greatly from man to man, but the size of an erect penis doesn’t vary as much (a phenomenon referred to as showers vs. growers). In locker rooms (well most of them) the penises you see are usually flaccid.

In a study of men who sought medical help for concerns about having a small penis, 62% of men said their concerns began in childhood as a result of comparing penis size to that of their friends.

Porn Comparisons

A lot of men will get sex information from watching pornography, which is a terrible way to learn anything about sex (except perhaps that sex is fun). Male porn stars have larger penises and there are lighting and pubic hair styling tricks that make them look even bigger. Remember, the camera puts on ten pounds. In the same study cited above, just over 37% of men say their concern about penis size began after seeing porn.

Visual Orientation

When you look at your own penis you are probably most often looking at it from above. This is an angle that makes your penis look smaller. If you stand naked in front of a full length mirror both facing the mirror and in profile, you’ll get a better idea of what your penis looks like to others (if this is your concern). Just as looking from below can impact our earliest ideas of penis size, always looking from above can make you think your penis is smaller than it is.

What’s Average?

Finally, men who think their penis is too small are probably unaware of what average penis size is thought to be in the first place. According to some reviews, average erect penis length is between 5.1 and 5.7 inches.(other reviews put it slightly higher at 5.5 to 6.3). In either case somewhere around five and a half inches is an average penis length. It’s not that there aren’t men who live with very small penises (known as a micropenis) but statistically speaking, most men will be somewhere in the middle.

_Source:

_{Mondaini N, Gontero P. “Idiopathic Short Penis: Myth or Reality?” BJU International Volume 95 (2005): 8-9.}

Do Penis Pumps Permanently Enlarge Your Penis?

2011-10-30T00:26:00.000-07:00

Question: Do Penis Pumps Permanently Enlarge Your Penis?

Answer:

Thankfully, this question, which is one I received 43 times in my first year as a guide (not from the same person) is one of the easier sex questions to answer. And of course the answer is yes...and no.

Penis pumps will absolutely make your penis bigger, temporarily. Penis pumps create a vacuum effect that draws blood into the penis, which in most cases will result in an erection. Given that an erection is bigger than a flaccid penis, it’s true that penis pumps “make” the penis bigger. But only while they are on over the penis. And this can get in the way of things.

The only published study that has examined the effectiveness of penis pumps at permanent enlargement found the claims of thousands of ads, websites, and "real" guys who promise permanent size gains to be puffed up, just a lot of hot air.

The study was published in the British Journal of Urology International in 2006. In the study the researchers followed a group of men with small penises who were willing to use penis pumps three times a week, for twenty minutes each session, over a period of six months. The device that was used was not a sex shop style penis pump, it was a clinically tested vacuum erection device.

At the end of the study there was an average increase of 0.3 centimeters, which is not statistically significant. But interestingly, even though this average increase is minor, 30% of the men who participated said they were satisfied with the “treatment”.

Despite the fact that the actual gain was not significant, and for some participants presumably there was no actual increase, many of the participants felt satisfied, which makes one wonder what it was that they were satisfied with. Was it the permission to spend an hour each week focused on an activity that some men find pleasurable? Was there a placebo effect?

With only one published study, we would need much more to go on before concluding anything. Even so, I have always been wary of the penis pump sales pitch. In the end, as long as you use your penis pump safely there is no reason not to try it if you like, and there is no question that some guys say it makes a difference. But as far as the research is concerned, the difference is largely in their heads.

_Sources:

_{Aghamir, M. K., Hosseini, R., & Alizadeh, F. “A Vacuum Device for Penile Elongation: Fact or Fiction?” British Journal of Urology International. Vol. 97, Issue 4 (2006): 777-778.}

Reasons why men feel pain during sex

2011-10-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Pain During Intercourse

Experiencing pain during intercourse affects sexual performance as well as pleasure. It can even have lasting psychological effects such as fear of penetration leading to impotence. Not surprisingly, equating pain with intercourse can put a strain on relationships, so in this article I look at some of the physical causes of pain during intercourse.

Infection
Pain can arise because of infections such as herpes or sexually transmitted diseases such as untreated gonorrhea.

Foreskin Problems
An overtight foreskin (phimosis) or damage to the foreskin resulting from tearing, friction or inflammation can all lead to pain.

Deformities of the Penis
Conditions such as hypospadias or scar tissue from previous traumas or infections.

Priapism
This is a condition where a non-sexual and often painful and sustained erection occurs.

Allergy
Allergy to the penis by vaginal fluids or contraception chemicals.

Hypersensitivity of the penis
This can occur post orgasm and ejaculation. Growths (benign or cancerous), urinary tract stones or penile deformities.

Action
Pain during intercourse is not normal and should be checked out by a medical practitioner. Do not continue attempting intercourse until you have recieved treatment. This is especially important if the cause of pain is due to infection.

Source: About.com

Common Questions and Answers About Penis Size

2011-10-09T03:13:00.000-07:00

Penis size is determined entirely by factors out of our control. Yet penis size may be the single greatest cause of anxiety for men young and old. Questions about penis size abound; What’s the average penis size? Can I increase my penis size? Does penis size matter as much as I think it does? Some of these questions have easy answers, most of them don’t.

What can safely be said is that concern about penis size is almost always misguided. Great sex is much more than the sum (or length) of its parts. Hopefully learning more about what researchers and regular folks have to say about penis size may help more men understand that.

What Is an Average Penis Size?

Data on what the average penis size is, both in terms of length and girth, as well as an explanation of the problems with measuring penis size and determining global statistics on average penis size.

Who Cares More About Penis Size, Women or Men?

Is bigger always better? Does penis size matter to the general public? Here’s what research tells us about the importance of penis size.

Do Penis Pumps Work?

They’re marketed as permanent penis enlargers, and you get emails every day praising their effectiveness. But do any of them really enlarge the penis?

Am I Too Small for Sex?

There are some very simple reasons why most men think their penis is too small, here they are.

Can I Trust Research on Penis Size?

One of the reasons that it’s so difficult to find accurate global data on average penis size is that measuring penises is a lot more complicated than you might think. As a result there is a lot of bad research out there on penis size.

How Do I Measure Up?

There is a tendency to compare yourself to others, and if most of your sex education has been from pornography, comparing your penis size to the images you see on your computer screen or TV may not be a good thing. Here’s the real story on how you measure up, and the trouble with comparing penis size.

Are We Genitally Compatible?

Is there such a thing as your "genital soul mate"? Does penis size play a role in how well you and a partner are matched sexually?

What Is a Micropenis?

Learn more about what does, and does not, qualify clinically as a very small penis. Most men who think they have one don’t.

What Is Small Penis Syndrome

A new proposed diagnosis for men who are anxious about their penis size despite being shown that they do not have an unusually small penis.

Why Is Everyone Obsessed with Penis Size?

There are those who say penis size does matter. What’s important about penis size for them, and why do they care about it?

Source: About.com

How Much Masturbation is Too Much Masturbation?

2011-10-02T02:03:00.000-07:00

Question: How Much Masturbation is Too Much Masturbation?

I need help. On your site it says that masturbation is great and healthy and everything, but then it also says that you can do it too much. But no one tells me how much masturbation is too much. Basically I do it at least once a day, mostly in bed, and sometimes more. I don’t have a girlfriend right now, and I don’t want to damage anything down there. Can you just tell me yes or no, is masturbating once a day too much?

Answer:

I wish I could answer your question easily, but masturbation isn’t like eating right, the FDA doesn’t offer us a "daily allowance" for masturbation (which is a good thing too, because I’m sure they’d give us some low ball number). Masturbation, like all of sex, is related to many things, physical, emotional, psychological, social, spiritual…the list goes on. So there’s never one answer to the question how much masturbation is too much masturbation or what qualifies as over masturbation.

This isn’t to say that you won’t find people who will give you a simple answer to your complicated question. The question of how much masturbation is too much has been the focus of some people’s life’s work, dozens of books, and countless religious tracts and sermons. Some say masturbation is terrible, some say masturbation is okay, but only when you’re young and single, and some tell you the truth, which is that masturbation is perfectly healthy and an important part of sexual health. With all these conflicting messages what is most important is that you do exactly what you’re doing right now; ask the question for yourself.

Too much masturbation can’t be determined only from the number of times you’re masturbating in a day or week. You need to dig deeper, and you can start by asking yourself some other questions about your masturbation habits:

Is your masturbation causing you distress?
Is your masturbation causing (unwanted) physical pain or damage?
Is your masturbation getting in the way of your life in unwanted ways?
Do you find yourself literally unable to stop masturbating?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then I would say it’s possible (but still not definite) that you are masturbating too much right now. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t other times in your life when masturbating everyday would be perfectly fine. It also doesn’t mean that there aren’t people out there who masturbate everyday (or more) and who are completely healthy and have no reason to masturbate less. Remember, there isn’t a magic number, and we all use sex differently.

If you do think you’re masturbating too much (that is if your masturbation is causing you distress, or pain, or it feels compulsive, or it’s getting in the way of your daily life) it may be something you want to talk to a professional about. Be sure it’s someone who is comfortable talking about sex and isn’t going to make you feel bad for your healthy sexual expression.

Source: About.com

Penis Infection Symptoms

2011-09-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Sexually transmitted infections often cause symptoms affecting the penis or groin. This article includes a list of symptoms that may indicate a sexually transmitted infection.

Discharge from the penis
A thick white, yellow or green discharge from the tip of the penis may be a sign of gonorrhea, especially if you also experience pain in the urethra or pain with urination.

Single sore on the penis
In primary syphilis, a hard, painless dime-sized sore (sometimes compared to a button) appears on the penis. This is usually accompanied by swelling of the lymph nodes in the groin.

Penile pain or discomfort
Pain or discomfort – often associated with urination – may be a sign of a sexually transmitted infection. You may also experience a discharge from your urethra.

Painful blisters or scabs on the penis
A cluster of painful or itchy red spots and small blisters on the penis may be a sign of genital herpes. Typically, the pain or itching comes first, followed a day or two later by the appearance of blisters. Herpes sores may also appear on the scrotum, thighs and buttocks.

Brown flecks on the hair around the penis
Tiny grey-brown eggs on the shafts of your pubic hair may be a sign of infestation by pubic lice (also called "crabs").

Red bumps on the penis and scrotum
A scabies infestation causes red itchy bumps and nodules, typically appearing in lines. Usually, similar lesions will be present elsewhere on your body if you have a scabies infestation.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, go see a doctor right away for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment.

_Sources:

_{Behrman AJ, Shoff WH. "Gonorrhea." eMedicine.com,. Accessed 11 May 2010.}

_{Diaz MM, Sinert RH. "Syphilis." eMedicine.com, Accessed 11 May 2010.}

_{McCroskey AL, Rosh AJ. "Scabies." eMedicine.com, Accessed 11 May 2010.}

Facts About Ejaculation & Ejaculate

2011-09-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

Ejaculate is 90% water. Semen is a milky opalescence, and opaque. Opalescence increases when the ejaculate has a higher concentration of sperm. Ejaculate consists mainly of semen:

65% of the semen arises from the seminal vesicles

35% of the semen comes from the prostate. It is the semen from the prostate that gives semen its characteristic smell.

5% is of other fluids

When a man orgasms he ejaculates between 1 and 5 millilitres of semen. The average is 2 to 3 millilitres (a small teaspoon) which of course is nothing when compared to an adult wild male boar which produces 0.5 litres per ejaculate!

An ejaculation can travel up to 3 feet or more. However an average distance is about 7 to 10 inches (17to 25cms). Ejacuation is preceded by an emission of 1-2 drops of alkaline fluid from the Cowper's glands (two small glands beneath the prostate). Its alkalinity neutralizes the acidity that remains in the urethra from recent urination. Repeated Ejaculation Facts:

The ability to have repeated ejaculation varies considerably from man to man. The ability to have repeated ejaculation begins to decline almost immediately once puberty is complete. Within the period of one to two hours most men can have one ejaculation, some can have a second and a few men can have three or four. Kinsey, a well known researcher into sex, recorded one man who was able to ejaculate six to eight times in a single session, but this is very rare.

Source: About.com

Marijuana May Impair Male Fertility

2011-09-06T05:10:00.000-07:00

Men who smoke marijuana frequently have significantly less seminal fluid, a lower total sperm count and their sperm behave abnormally, all of which may affect fertility adversely, a new study in reproductive physiology at the University at Buffalo has shown.

This study is the first to assess marijuana's effects on specific swimming behavior of sperm from marijuana smokers and to compare the results with sperm from men with confirmed fertility. Marijuana contains the cannabinoid drug THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which is its primary psychoactive chemical, as well as other cannabinoids.

Marijuana Affects Male Sperm

Results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine in San Antonio.

"The bottom line is, the active ingredients in marijuana are doing something to sperm, and the numbers are in the direction toward infertility," said Lani J. Burkman, Ph.D., lead author on the study. Burkman is assistant professor of gynecology/obstetrics and urology and head of the Section on Andrology in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. UB's andrology laboratory also carries out sophisticated diagnosis for infertile couples.

Sperm Swimming Too Fast, Too Early

"We don't know exactly what is happening to change sperm functioning," said Burkman, "but we think it is one of two things: THC may be causing improper timing of sperm function by direct stimulation, or it may be bypassing natural inhibition mechanisms. Whatever the cause, the sperm are swimming too fast too early." This aberrant pattern has been connected to infertility in other studies, she noted.

Further research in the andrology laboratory showed that human sperm exposed to high levels of THC displayed abnormal changes in the sperm enzyme cap, called the acrosome. When researchers tested synthetic anandamide equivalents on human sperm, the normal vigorous swimming patterns were changed and the sperm showed reduced ability to attach to the egg before fertilization. Only about 10 laboratories in the U.S. perform this array of sperm function tests.

Testing for Sperm Count

In the current study, Burkman received seminal fluid from 22 confirmed marijuana smokers and subjected the samples to a variety of tests. The volunteers reported smoking marijuana approximately 14 times a week, and for an average of 5.1 years.

Control numbers were obtained from 59 fertile men who had produced a pregnancy. All men abstained from sexual activity for two days before the lab analysis.

The samples from both groups were tested for volume, sperm-count-per-unit of seminal fluid, total sperm count, percent of sperm that was moving, velocity and sperm shape.

Smokers Had Less Sperm

Results showed that both the volume of seminal fluid and the total number of sperm from marijuana smokers were significantly less than for fertile control men. Significant differences also appeared when HA and velocity, both before and after washing, were assessed, the study found.

"The sperm from marijuana smokers were moving too fast too early," said Burkman. "The timing was all wrong. These sperm will experience burnout before they reach the egg and would not be capable of fertilization."

Risky for Borderline Fertility Men

Burkman noted that many men who smoke marijuana have fathered children. "The men who are most affected likely have naturally occurring borderline fertility potential, and THC from marijuana may push them over the edge into infertility," she said.

As to the question of whether fertility potential returns when smokers stop using marijuana: Burkman said the issue hasn't been studied well enough to provide a definitive answer.

"THC remains stored in fat for a long period, so the process may be quite slow. We can't say that everything will go back to normal. Most men who have borderline fertility are unaware of that fact. It's difficult to know who is at risk. I definitely would advise anyone trying to conceive not to smoke marijuana, and that would include women as well as men.

Source: About.com

What Is Premature?

2011-07-18T12:02:00.000-07:00

For years, sex therapists, researchers, and physicians have debated what should be the medical definition of premature ejaculation. There is still no worldwide agreement on one definition of what premature means in the context of ejaculation. Having one might help one day. But in the meantime, if you’re trying to figure out what premature means to you or to your partner, you can start by coming up with your own definition of premature.

Premature for What?

Most of us don’t talk about sex enough with our partners or healthcare providers. If we think there is a problem, we often want to skip the part where we talk about it, try to describe it, and work on it ourselves. It can seem much easier (and less anxiety provoking) to wait for a pill and hope our doctor will be as uncomfortable as we are and just write a prescription. One of the many problems with this approach is that we never define the problem for ourselves.

In the case of premature ejaculation, the question becomes, "Premature for what? What is it that you’re missing by ejaculating when you do?" Another way to ask this question is, "What is the goal of the sex you’re having?" If the goal is for everyone involved to have an orgasm, this can be accomplished even if one of you ejaculates first (when you think about it, someone almost always comes first). If the goal is to have a female orgasm from intercourse, then you need to know that a) most women don’t orgasm from intercourse, and b) you can do other things to increase the chances of having an orgasm through intercourse. The point is that most people assume they know the goal of every sexual encounter without ever asking themselves what they want from it. For example, is it possible that your ejaculation is “premature” because you have nothing else to look forward to?

What Is Premature for You?

You need to start by deciding how you are comfortable defining premature. Is it based on time (such as it’s premature if you ejaculate before 5 to 10 minutes of intercourse)? Is it based on satisfaction (such as it’s premature if you ejaculate before your partner has an orgasm)? Is it a problem if it happens once in a while versus happening all the time? It’s hard not to feel pressure from partners and the culture around us which says that a man should have complete control over his penis and be able to ejaculate when and where he wants. But it’s worth trying to think about how you feel and what you desire, as opposed to what you think others expect and want from your ejaculation abilities.

Does a Partner Have a Right to Define Premature?

If you’re in a committed relationship with someone you care about, consider and account for how your partner experiences your sexual activities. But if one of you thinks you’re premature and the other doesn’t, it’s a sign that there is a problem with communication and expectations, not ejaculation. So if you’re happy with when you ejaculate but your partner considers it premature, it is worth asking him why. Does he take your ejaculation timing as a sign of something? Is he comparing you to previous sexual experiences (this is a hard one to hear, but the bottom line is that if he can’t have sex with you in the present, without comparing the sex to previous experiences, something probably needs to be worked out on his end)? Having your partner define your ejaculation as premature can be painful, and it can feel like he doesn’t have a right to do it. Whether it’s his place to label the ejaculation as premature or not, once it’s out there, you’ve got to deal with it.

Times Change, So Can a Definition of Premature

If you’re struggling with premature ejaculation, one of the first things a doctor or therapist will ask is how long it’s been going on. He’ll also want to know how often it happens and if there have been other times in your life when you’ve felt you were premature ejaculating. For some men, premature ejaculation is constant. For many others, it comes and goes. I’d like to suggest that how you define premature can also change over time. What is premature in one sexual encounter might actually be way too long in another. This doesn’t make it any better. But the idea of premature ejaculation can seem so scary and monolithic that it’s important to remember that, in fact, it can be highly dependent on context.

Source: About.com

What are the sexual effects of alcohol on men?

2011-07-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Research has shown that the sexual effects of alcohol are different for men and women. This is likely the result of both physical and social differences in the way women’s bodies and men’s bodies react to alcohol and respond sexually.

Not surprisingly, the amount of alcohol consumed, and how often a man drinks, has an impact on whether there will be negative sexual effects of alcohol for men. Most of the research in this area has been with men who are, or were, alcoholics. Sexual effects in these studies include:

Difficulty getting and maintaining erections
Difficulty ejaculating/delayed ejaculation
Reduced sexual desire
Increased sexual aggression
Infertility

As with women and alcohol, men may find that small amounts of alcohol increase sex desire and sociability. But positive quickly turns to negative as the amount of alcohol consumed increases. One of the differences researchers often point out is that most men consider an erection necessary for sex, and consuming high amounts of alcohol usually has a negative effect on erectile function.

How common are sexual effects of alcohol for men?

Because most of the research relies on men recalling past sexual experience and performance, and because research studies differ wildly in their methodology, narrowing down prevalence isn’t easy.

Estimates for men having difficulty with ejaculation range from 5-25% in some studies. Some researchers estimate that as many as 54% of alcoholic men have difficulties getting and maintaining erections, and decreased sexual desire has been found in between 31-58% of men across several studies.

The impact on men who are not alcoholics, and men who are drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol is likely much less than this. And while drinking enough alcohol to become intoxicated may very well result in not being able to get an erection, if the man isn’t a chronic drinker, the erection difficulties should not persist.

Alcohol’s impact on testosterone in men

Researchers debate the impact of alcohol on testosterone in men. Whether they are definitive or not, there are several studies that show a decrease in testosterone both in alcoholic men and in non alcoholic men who drink enough to become intoxicated. Alcoholism can result in hypogonadism. However, with men who drink occasionally, testosterone levels return to normal, and moderate amounts of alcohol are not associated with reduced testosterone.

Can sexual effects of alcohol be reversed?

We don’t know the point at which sexual effects of alcohol such as erectile and orgasm difficulties become irreversible. We also don’t know exactly how long after a man stops drinking that his normal sexual functioning may resume.

One study of over 17,000 alcoholic men found that after several years of no alcohol 50% returned to normal erectile functioning, and the other 50% were either partially or completely unable to get an erection, even when sexual desire returned.

Sexual dysfunction due to alcohol abuse may also be caused by the kinds of diseases made worse by chronic alcohol consumption (for example diabetes and heart disease).

Sources:

Crenshaw, T.L. & Goldberg, J.P. Sexual Pharmacology: Drugs that Affect Sexual Function. New York: Norton, 1996.
Muthusami, K.R. and Chinnaswamy, P. “Effect of Chronic Alcoholism on Male Fertility Hormones and Semen Quality.” Fertility and Sterility. Volume 84, Issue 4 (2005): 919-924.
Seagraves, R.T. & Balon, R. Sexual Pharmacology: Fast Facts. New York : Norton, 2003.

Sex after Fatherhood - When is it o.k. to have sex again?

2011-06-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

Does becoming a father mean less sex, less sleep, less attention? It's great to be a dad, but it can also be quite a period of adjustment, especially if the baby is your first. One aspect of your relationship that remains important is the sexual side of your life together. Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions about men's sex life after the birth of your baby

When can we have sex again?

How quickly you return to having sexual intercourse depends on circumstances. It is generally advisable that you wait about six weeks after the birth. This allows the woman's body time to begin to return to back to normal and allows healing from any surgical intervention during the birth. Your doctor should advise you if this period of time needs to be any longer.

Will My Partner Want Sex?

You will probably find that your partner is less interested in sex than you are at first. The demands of being a mother can leave her feeling preoccupied and more tired. It's a time when men can feel a bit left out and a little isolated. Remember that this is a common feeling. You both need time to adjust to the new demands of parenthood. Try not to rush things. You should find that your partner's sex drive will soon return. You have to respect each other's feelings. Communication, as always, is the most important thing in your relationship. Less pressure and more support and love will all help the process along.

Birth Control after a Baby

When do you need to think birth control? The answer is straight away. For men condoms and a spermicide are the best and safest form of contraception. Although breast feeding does delay a woman's fertility you do not know at exactly what stage that changes and her periods return. Because internal organs of the woman are stretched (the vaginal walls & the uterus) a diaphragm will not act as an efficient form of birth control. A woman has to be fitted for a new diaphragm two to three months after childbirth.

The only oral contraceptive pill that is safe for breast feeding mothers is the progesterone mini-pill that her doctor needs to prescribe. The Dr will be able to make that medical judgement about the safety of this from of birth control. The mini-pill does have a small failure rate of 1%-3%. Depo-Provera or other forms of injectable contraceptive may be helpful for some women. It provides a reliable form of birth control to those who find it difficult to take contraceptives orally and their effect lasts from 1 to 3 months.

Encountering Problems?

If you and your partner are having problems with your sex life after the birth of your baby you may need to ask for advice and support. Contact your doctor, midwife, health visitor, or a therapist. The on-line forum can be very helpful and knowing you are not alone in encountering problems and is very supportive.

Source: About.com

Sexual Addiction

2011-05-17T08:15:00.000-07:00

Most common among men, sexual addiction is an overwhelming desire to have sex. Sexual behavior becomes a problem and is considered an addiction when it is repeated often enough to interfere with normal daily living. Addictive sexual behavior interferes with relationships, work, friendships, and lifestyle.

There is a line between being enjoying sex, its peripheral pleasures and sexual addiction. In sexual addiction long periods of time are given over to sex-related activities. Sex addicts feel unable to control sexual behavior or even reduce its incidence. People with sexual addiction behavior often use sex as an escape from other problems such as anxiety, stress, depression and social isolation.

Other names for sexual addiction

Nymphomania, hypersexuality, erotomania, perversion, sexual obsession, sexual addiction.

Signs and symptoms of compulsive sexual behavior

Having multiple sexual partners or extramarital affairs.

Engaging in sex with many anonymous partners or prostitutes. Sex addicts treat sexual partners as objects rather than social intimates that are only used for sex.

Engaging in excessive masturbation, as often as 10 to 20 times a day.

Using pornographic materials a lot. Using chat rooms or on line pornography or sex chat phone lines excessively.

Engaging in types of sexual behavior that you would not have considered acceptable before. Examples are masochistic or sadistic sex. Sometimes more extreme forms of sexual behavior are engaged in, for example pedophilia, bestiality, rape.

Exposure in public.

Causes of sexual addiction

There are a number of theories on why sexual addiction occurs. For example, psychological and emotional difficulties, personality disorder, as a form of coping mechanism, a result of childhood trauma. In some forms of mental illness sexual addiction can be a feature, in depression, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder
Some neurological disorders can, rarely, result in sexual addictions. These include epilepsy, head injury and dementia.

Some drugs have been found to cause hypersexuality. Examples are apomorphine and dopamine replacement therapy.

Problematic effects of compulsive sexual behavior

Sexual addiction can cause a vicious circle of low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. Although excessive sex can bring short term relief, the harm to the psychological well-being of the individual and to their relationships means intervention is required to bring the problem back into their control.

Someone with a sexual addiction often puts their physical health at risk because of their behavior. Sexually transmitted diseases (STD's), HIV/AIDS, alcoholism and other drug addictions as well as placing themselves at greater risk of violence.

Getting help for addictive sexual behavior

An intense preoccupation with sex that results in unacceptable or highly deviant sexual behavior requires treatment from an expert in the field. An evaluation by a psychologist, psychiatrist or sex therapist can be done on an out-patient basis. Treatment may depend on the cause. Behavioral treatments have been found to be helpful. A doctor may be able to treat depressional aspects of sexual addiction with medication.

The first point of contact can be your family doctor or local psychiatric services who offer specialists in sexual behavior disorder. Marital therapy may also be helpful.

Source: About.com

Penis Size and Sexual Satisfaction

2011-05-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

Does Penis Size Matter?

Penis size matters mainly because we think it does. The famous sexuality researchers, Masters and Johnson, say that penis size has no physical effect on female sexual satisfaction.

Women & Sexual Satisfaction

Russell Eisenman's research into women's perceptions of sexual satisfaction considered penis size and width. Fifty sexually active women aged between 18 and 25 years old were asked, "In having sex, which feels better, length of penis or width of penis?" No consideration was given to issues like love, physical attractiveness or romantic feelings. The survey found:

Most of the 50 women said that width was more important than length.

Only 5 women reported length felt better than width. In fact, a long penis can cause discomfort.

None of the women said that size and width were equally important.

None of the women said they did not know.

Penis width and penis length

There are a number of reasons why penis width could be described as more sexually satisfying by women. First, the width of the penis at the base may be more stimulating to the clitoris. The researchers also suggest that a wide penis gives a woman a 'greater feeling of fullness' and is therefore physically and psychologically more satisfying.

Male anxiety about penis size

Men tend to misjudge the size of their penis, due to viewing it from above. Research shows that many men believe that their penis is smaller than normal when they actually have a normal-sized penis.

_Sources:

_{Kinsey, Alfred C. et al. (1948). Sexual Behavior in the Human Male. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; Bloomington, IN: Indiana U. Press.}

_{N Mondaini, R Ponchietti, P Gontero, G H Muir, A Natali, E Caldarera, S Biscioni M Rizzo. (2002) Penile length is normal in most men seeking penile lengthening procedures. International Journal of impotence Research. August 2002, Volume 14, Number 4, Pages 283-286.}

_{Smith A. M A; Jolley D.; Hocking J.; Benton K.; Gerofi J. (1998) Does penis size influence condom slippage and breakage? International Journal of STD & AIDS, Volume 9, Number 8, 1 August 1998, pp. 444-447.}

Morning Erections

2011-04-25T10:14:00.000-07:00

Many young men, and even some older ones who haven’t found the right people to ask, are curious about morning erections. Most men have the experience, with some regularity, of waking up in the morning with an erection.

What Is A Morning Erection?

Morning erections, colloquially referred to as "morning wood" and scientifically defined as nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) are a healthy and normal physiological response that most men experience. Morning erections would be better described as the tail end of a series of nighttime erections, as they are just the last erection in a series.

On average a healthy male will have between three and five erections in a full night sleep, with each erection lasting between 25 -35 minutes.

Causes of Morning Erections

It is a common myth that morning erections are caused by a full bladder. This is untrue. While the reason for morning erections is unknown, we do know that the erections are closely associated with REM sleep (the time in the night when you dream and brain activity changes). These erections are also associated with an increase in heart rate. It isn’t known for sure if the erections are a result of the other physiological changes, more research is required. Some suggest that morning erections are a way for your body to make sure everything is in working order.

Lack of Morning Erections

Early research on morning erections did not find a difference in the morning erections of older men when compared to those of younger men. More recent research has shown a gradual decline in morning erections (some show just a decrease in the rigidity and length of time of an erection and not the frequency of getting erections).

One of the reason morning erections attracted the interest of researchers was as a tool to rule out physical causes of erectile dysfunction. If a man cannot get an erection to his satisfaction during sexual activities one of the first things a doctor will determine is whether or not he is getting full erections during the night and in the morning.

If a lack of morning erections is accompanied by a lack of overall erections it suggests a physical over a psychological cause. If you are concerned about a noticeable change in your morning erections it's something you may want to talk about with your doctor. However there are a variety of other factors that influence morning erections (including length and quality of sleep) and a change in morning erections doesn't always indicate a serious problem.

Erectile Dysfunction Medications and Morning Erections

Medications used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) including sildenafil (Viagra) and tadalafil (Cialis), can have an impact on morning erections. Both medications, if taken the night before prior to sexual activities, can result in morning erections, although morning erections occur more often when tadalafil is used.

Of course there is no reason to take a medication simply to get a morning erection, as morning erections, while they may be related to overall erectile function are not necessarily a total indicator of function or dysfunction.

_Sources:

Gordon, C.M. and Carey, M.P. “Penile Tumescence Monitoring During Morning Naps to Assess Male Erectile Functioning.” Archives of Sexual Behavior Volume 24, No. 3 (1995): 291-307.
Rosen, R.C., Goldstein, L., Scoles, V., et. al “Psychophysiologic Correlates of Nocturnal Penile Tumescence in Normal Males.” Psychosomatic Medicine Volume 48, No. 6 (1986): 423-429.
Sae-Chul, K. “Regaining of Morning Erection and Sexual Confidence in Patients with Erectile Dysfunction.” Asian Journal of Andrology Volume 8, No. 6 ( 2006): 703-708

Why does he ejaculate too quickly?

2011-04-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Question: Why does he ejaculate too quickly?

“I’m a 37 year old woman who has just started a relationship with a much younger guy. He’s super hot, and I love his body, and most of the sex is good, but he cums way too quickly. He knows it, and we’ve finally talked about it, but I don’t know how to help him with it. Most of my boyfriends haven’t had this problem, but some have. How can he learn to last longer, and how come guys don’t just learn to control ejaculation?

Answer:

Even though premature ejaculation is considered the most common sexual dysfunction for men, the fact is we still don’t know what causes premature ejaculation. It is likely the result of many factors. And many people are misinformed as to what premature ejaculation actually is. The good news is that there are several ways to learn to control ejaculation.

In terms of the why guys don’t just “naturally” learn to control ejaculation, there’s probably several reasons.

Evolutionary psychologists would say that the goal of sex is procreation and therefore there’s no reason to prolong it. And it's true that we may be the first animals to want to prolong erections to prolong penetrative sex play (even though we aren’t the only animals to like having sex, or to make it a creative act). Not that I'm suggesting we listen to the evolutionary psychologists on this one.

A more simple answer is that no one teaches young men to control ejaculation. Children are taught to learn the signs of other reflexes. We teach them how to control urination for example. But when it comes to teaching young men ejaculatory control, I don’t think you’ll find it in even the most progressive sexual health curriculums.

Another possibility is that most men’s earliest sexual experiences are with masturbation (or even partner sex) done secretly and quickly, for fear of discovery. It is thought that these early experiences may condition some men’s sexual response to a pattern of rapid ejaculation.

Source: About.com

What Causes Impotence and Erectile Dysfunction?

2011-04-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

Erectile dysfunction, also called impotence, is defined as a man’s inability to get an erection or maintain it long enough to have sex with a partner. For some men, impotence means they are unable to ejaculate during sex.

Erectile dysfunction or impotence happens to most men at one time or another, but studies indicate that erectile dysfunction is more common in older men, so it is often associated with the aging process in men.

Occasional impotence is often not seen as a problem, but when impotence continues for awhile, it can bring on great emotional distress for both the man and his partner.

Common Causes of Impotence or Erectile Dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction can be caused by emotional problems:

Worry

Fear

Stress

Anger

Depression

Lack of interest in sex, or in the sexual partner

Erectile dysfunction can also have physical causes:

Reduced testosterone level, which can be treated with hormone therapy

A side-effect from some medications, including meds for depression, heart disease, high blood pressure and epilepsy

An injury to the groin, or nerve damage

Illnesses including kidney or heart disease, or diabetes, can cause erectile dysfunction

A reduction in blood flow to the penis, common in men who have hardening of the arteries

Overuse or abuse of drugs including alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs

A possible side-effect of some medical procedures, including prostate or urinary tract surgery

Source: About.com

What's the Deal with Penis Size?

2011-04-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

Question: What's the Deal with Penis Size?

What’s the deal with penis size? Guys seem obsessed with it, I know some women friends who are definite size queens, but here’s my problem. I’ve been with guys of a lot of different sizes, but there doesn’t seem an obvious link for me between size and pleasure. I have this feeling that there’s probably a right size out there for me, and when I find it that’s the man I should marry (or at least test drive!) Do you think that there’s such a thing as your genital soul mate?

There are many questions in this one. Does penis size matter? Do we actually fit together? And what makes a good lover?

The short answer to the question about size is kind of like that famous presidential quote: it matters to some of the people, some of the time... There has been surprisingly little research in this area, but you’ll find information on that research through the link below.

For the most part people’s size interests take a back seat to other considerations। Aside from your friends who are size queens, the same person might be happy driving a Toyota Tercel one day, and an SUV the next. And as folks on the discussion board are pointing out, small can sometimes be better, depending one what you want to do with it.

Source: About.com

Male Factor Infertility Testing

2011-03-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Male factors account for about 50% of all infertility problems. Male factors for infertility can include:

Lack of Sperm
Abnormal Sperm
Problems with Sperm Delivery
Natural Fertility Decline

A semen analysis may be the first step in fertility testing for couples that have been actively trying to achieve a pregnancy for over a year without success. This test consists of testing the semen, the white fluid discharge or ejaculate from the male penis at orgasm, which contains sperm, within 2 hours of collection. A semen analysis, or sperm testing, is done first because it is non-invasive and much usually less expensive, costing less than $50 for most people.

The sample is collected by masturbation either alone or with a partner. Sometimes it is done in a medical office or in your home. You will be given instructions on how long to abstain from ejaculation prior to the testing. Usually this period of time is about 2-3 days.

They are looking for the volume of the semen sample, the number of sperm and if they are adequately mobile and normally shaped and the contents of the seminal fluid.

Fertility can be affected when the ranges are outside of the normal limits. The test can be influenced by drugs or medications, including alcohol, tobacco, hormones, and marijuana.

The treatment would depend on what was found to be wrong with the sample. Many problems can be treated and addressed. If no problems are found testing of the female partner, which may be more invasive and costly, is begun. For more information talk to your health care provider about your specific case.

Semen Analysis
Normal Volume	1.5 - 5.0 milliliters per ejaculation
Sperm Count	20-150 Million sperm per milliliter
Movement/Shape	60+% should be normal shape and motile (moves forward)

Source: About.com

Healthy Sperm - Maximize Your Fertility

2011-03-18T01:33:00.000-07:00

A healthy male discharges 50 million sperm in a single ejaculation. During sexual intercourse, of all those millions of sperm, only a couple hundred will make it to a mature egg that is ready to be fertilized.

Factors That May Affect Sperm Health

It is important to remember that there is still a lot to learn about male fertility. We do know that a lot of the things that make sperm healthy are the things that are healthy for men anyway. Keep in mind, though, that the following tips are merely considerations for men with potential fertility problems. Many men have no problem with their sperm count, no matter their lifestyles.

Remember, you should discuss any fertility problems with your doctor to evaluate an underlying cause.

Tight trousers and underwear, synthetic material and heat: It has been suggested that all these adversely affect fertility, so get out those baggy cotton boxers! Keep the family jewels cool. It is known that the testes function most effectively (including the production of sperm) at slightly cooler than core body temperature.

Geography: One study showed that geographic location influenced average sperm count. Men in New York City had higher sperm counts than men in Los Angeles. (Whether a man's sperm count will increase should he move from L.A. to the Big Apple is not clear, however.)

Hot tubs and saunas: Frequent use of hot tubs and saunas may lower sperm counts, as heat may decrease sperm production.

Alcohol: Alcohol consumption can damage sperm production in a couple of ways. First, it may increase the production of estrogen by the liver, which can lower sperm count. Also, alcohol can directly poison the sperm-producing cells of the testicle. Limit your alcohol intake when you are trying to improve your fertility.

Drugs: There are a number of drugs that affect male fertility, including steroids, cytotoxic drugs used in cancer treatments, and opiates. Contact your family doctor if you are on any long-term medication that you are worried may affect your fertility. Doctors should always inform you of any side effects, but it is always easy to check if you have forgotten.

Environmental toxins: There is quite a lot of conflicting evidence about environmental substances that may cause damage to sperm. It is known that radiation causes damage and birth defects. Other substances thought to have a detrimental effect on sperm are some perfumes containing phthalates, some types of pesticides, organic mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, and estrogens in water supply. Many of these substances are still the subject of ongoing research.

Smoking: Smokers have been shown to have diminished fertility compared to non-smokers. Smoking may adversely affect the sperm's movement, as well as the health of the sperm.

Time of day: Sperm counts are higher in the morning.

Excessive ejaculation and prolonged abstinence: Both are known to affect the number and quality of sperm. Intercourse every 2 to 3 days helps ensure optimal sperm count and health.

Diet: A healthy balanced diet is important. Foods rich in antioxidants may promote optimal sperm health.

Supplements: Folic acid, selenium, and zinc sulfate have been shown to improve sperm counts and sperm function.

Seek Advice

If you are concerned about your fertility and think your sperm may not be fit and healthy, contact your family doctor। Some simple tests on your semen and a look at your general fitness could provide some answers.

_Sources:

_{Mayo Clinic. "Healthy sperm: Improving your fertility." Accessed 5-5-10. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fertility/mc00023}

_{Swan, SH; et al. "Geographic differences in semen quality of fertile U.S. males." Environ Health Perspect. 2003 Apr; 111 (4):414-20.}

University Of Alberta Researcher Offers Promising Treatment For Premature Ejaculation

2009-09-18T14:14:00.000-07:00

A University of Alberta researcher has discovered a potential breakthrough for premature ejaculation--the most common sexual dysfunction in men--with a drug usually used to treat bi-polar or anxiety disorder.

Dr. Pierre Chue, a psychiatry professor at the U of A, has found success in treating premature ejaculation (PE) with the use of gabapentin, better known by the brand name Neurontin. Chue writes about his findings in the September issue of the "Canadian Journal of Psychiatry."

"This disorder affects almost 40 per cent of males--it is even more common than erectile dysfunction--yet it is not talked about much and there has been very little research on it," said Chue.

The essential feature of the disorder is persistent ejaculation with minimal sexual stimulation before or shortly after penetration and before the person wishes it. PE is believed to be a neurobiological phenomenon involving primarily a disturbance of serotonin receptor function. Currently, physicians prescribe medications that are known to influence these receptors--selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRIs--that delay ejaculation but these antidepressants also come with negative side-effects..

In his report, Chue cites a case study in which a 40-year-old man diagnosed with PE received minimal effectiveness from different techniques--the use of a condom with topical anesthetic and different antidepressant drugs--aimed to improve the disorder. The drugs resulted in such side effects as restless legs, headaches, decreased libido or accelerated ejaculation. The man "had previously found that alcohol produced satisfactory ejaculatory delay with no loss of erectile capacity, but clearly this was not a feasible regular option," says Chue. A trial of gabapentin taken one to two hours before intercourse proved effective. Higher doses prolonged ejaculation even further but also caused drowsiness.

Dr. Chue is not certain how gabapentin works to improve PE but believes it has to do with the drug's ability to increase aminobutyric acid (GABA), the most important inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Since there are currently no specific treatments for PE, the use of gabepentin to prolong ejaculation warrants further study, says Chue, particularly for those men where other therapies are ineffective or poorly tolerated.

Meanwhile, Chue is looking for people to participate in a clinical trial he is running that will use an SSRI-type drug called dapoxetine, to learn its effects on men with PE. This is an SSRI with a very short half-life that has been shown in clinical trials to delay ejaculation without the usual SSRI side effects.

Source: Science Daily

Erectile Dysfunction In Diabetic Men May Predict Silent Heart Disease

2009-09-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Men with type 2 diabetes who have difficulty achieving an erection could have heart disease and not realize it, according to a report in today's rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Men who had silent, or symptomless, coronary artery disease (CAD) and type 2 diabetes were nine times as likely to have erectile dysfunction (ED) as were diabetic men who did not have silent heart disease.

"If our findings are confirmed, erectile dysfunction may become a potential marker to identify diabetic patients to screen for silent CAD," said lead researcher Carmine Gazzaruso, M.D., an internal medicine specialist at Maugeri Foundation Hospital in Pavia, Italy.

Erectile dysfunction and coronary atherosclerosis (narrowing of the coronary arteries) are frequent complications of diabetes, and the association between erectile dysfunction and overt or symptomatic CAD is well documented. However, many diabetic patients have asymptomatic (silent) CAD and are unaware of their heart disease risk. This is the first study to evaluate the prevalence of erectile dysfunction among men with type 2 diabetes and silent heart disease, researchers said.

"Silent CAD is a strong predictor of coronary events and early death, especially in diabetic patients," the investigators noted. "So, it is of interest to know clinical conditions associated with silent CAD to identify subjects who should be screened for CAD."

To evaluate potential associations between ED and silent coronary artery disease, the Italian group studied 133 men who had uncomplicated diabetes and silent coronary artery disease documented by coronary angiography, a test that produces images inside the heart's blood vessels. They were compared with 127 diabetic men who did not have silent heart disease, as verified by a series of tests.

Men in the two groups were evaluated for ED by means of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), a widely used questionnaire to determine a man's ability to achieve erections. The IIEF was administered to all of the men as part of routine ED screening in the year prior to diagnosis or exclusion of silent CAD.

Diabetic men with and without silent CAD did not differ with respect to current forms of treatment. They also had similar rates of diabetic retinopathy, a diabetes complication that correlates with the severity of the disease.

Among the diabetic men with silent CAD, 33.8 percent had ED, compared to 4.7 percent of diabetic men who did not have silent CAD. A statistical analysis that evaluated potential risk factors for silent CAD showed that ED was a better predictor than more traditional risk factors for CAD. Risk factors for silent CAD were apolipoprotein(a) polymorphism (genetic alteration affecting cholesterol), smoking, microalbuminuria (protein loss related to kidney function), and levels of HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

The findings have several potential implications for the evaluation and management of diabetic patients, Gazzaruso said. First, erectile dysfunction warrants consideration with other CAD risk factors, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol abnormalities, in deciding whether a diabetic man requires more extensive evaluation for coronary artery disease.

A second implication relates to treatment of erectile dysfunction in diabetic men. The availability of oral medications for ED has raised questions about their use in men with cardiovascular disease, not only because the drugs can affect blood pressure, but also because they permit formerly impotent men with heart disease to resume sexual activity. Gazzaruso and his associates suggest that diabetic men with erectile dysfunction might require an exercise test or other evaluation for silent CAD before starting erectile dysfunction medication.

As for the possible biologic or physiologic mechanisms that link ED and silent CAD, the investigators cite microalbuminuria and neurologic disorders as possible explanations. However, they emphasize that more studies are needed to determine the precise nature of the association.

Source: Science Daily

Mayo Researchers Find Link Between Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms And Sexual Dysfunction In Older Men

2009-09-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

Mayo Clinic researchers report in the latest issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings that there may be an association between lower urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction among older men. As the population ages, this finding will help further research that could help millions of men.

Lower urinary tract symptoms become common as men age and their prostates enlarge, restricting urine flow or altering their bladder habits. At this same age (age 65 and older) an estimated 100 million men worldwide experience erectile dysfunction. The Mayo Clinic researchers set out to determine whether the urinary tract symptoms and sexual dysfunction are related or not.

"This observation suggests there may be a common cause that someday may prove amenable to medical treatments that could be effective for treating both conditions," says Steven Jacobsen, M.D., Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic researcher and the senior author of the study in the June 2004 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

The researchers studied 2,115 male patients in The Olmsted County Study of Urinary Symptoms and Health Status Among Men. The men, ages 40 to 79, completed questionnaires in 1990 and were followed up every two years. Dr. Jacobsen says the study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings is one of the few community-based studies to assess the relationship between the symptoms of sexual dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms. In contrast, other studies examined only the association between individual urinary symptoms and sexual life dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms in selected patients who underwent medical or surgical treatments.

The symptoms that were most strongly associated with sexual dysfunction included a feeling of urgency, having to get up multiple times at night, a weak urine stream and straining to start urinating. These symptoms were all associated with difficulties with getting or maintaining erections, feeling of problems with sexual function and satisfaction. However, they were not strongly associated with sex drive after taking age differences into account.

Source: Science Daily

Smokers More Likely To Experience Impotence, Wake Forest Study Shows

2009-08-30T06:10:00.000-07:00

Men with high blood pressure who smoke are 26 times more likely to have erectile dysfunction --impotence -- than nonsmokers, John Spangler, M.D., M.P.H., of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center told the American Society of Hypertension May 19 in San Francisco.

Erectile dysfunction, or impotence, is the inability of a man to achieve an erection or to complete intercourse, he said, and affects an estimated 30 million Americans.

"These data are the first to quantify a 26-fold increase in erectile dysfunction among primary care men with hypertension who also currently smoke, a rate that is also twice that of former smokers," said Spangler, associate professor of family and community medicine.

He said the study showed that former smokers among patients with high blood pressure are 11 times more likely to be impotent than non-smokers.

"Cigarette smoking, hypertension and erectile dysfunction are common disorders in primary care, and informing men who smoke of the exceptionally high possibility of developing erectile dysfunction may motivate many to quit their tobacco habit."

Spangler said that cigarette smoking and impotence had been linked previously by other investigators, including finding what doctors call a dose response relationship: the more cigarettes smoked per day the greater the chance of impotence.

But most of these earlier studies looked at a highly selective group of patients going to urology or cardiology clinics, he said. "This is the first study that looked at a primary care population and is more reflective of the general population."

Spangler said smoking has "both acute and chronic effects on erectile physiology." In both human and animal studies, smoking inhibits the ability to achieve a full erection.

Smoking also is known to accelerate atherosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries-- and when the blood vessels in the pelvis area are narrowed, that contributes to reduced penile blood flow.

"A smoking history should be obtained from all patients, especially those who report erectile dysfunction," Spangler recommended, "Informing men who smoke about the exceptionally high likelihood of developing erectile dysfunction should become a standard part of care of these patients." Spangler said the research team was surprised that there was no relationship between stress and impotence, but noted that the small size of the study -- 59 patients -- may have limited the chance to detect differences. The smoker versus nonsmoker difference, however, was dramatic.

"It may be that cigarette smoking and high blood pressure are such powerful risk factors for impotence that it just overshadows stress," he said.

The study was supported in part by a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The team, in addition to Spangler, include John H. Summerson, M.S., Joseph C. Konen, M.D., M.S.P.H., and Ronny A. Bell, Ph.D. Konen is now at the Department of Family Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

Source: Science Daily

Study Pinpoints An Enzyme Key To Both Male And Female Sexual Dysfunction - Along With A Potential Treatment

2009-08-28T10:28:00.000-07:00

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions have identified an enzyme that appears to play a key role in bringing on sexual dysfunction in both men and women – and a second molecule that can just as easily yank the offending enzyme out of commission. The findings, which carry the possibility of new treatments for sexual disorders, are scheduled to appear in two papers in the March 13 issue of Biochemistry, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

Led by Penn chemist David W. Christianson, the team found that the enzyme arginase can effectively short-circuit a biochemical pathway critical to male sexual arousal. But unlike remedies developed expressly for erectile dysfunction, which have proven disappointing in clinical trials with women, treatments that home in on arginase may offer hope for both sexes.

"There is intense interest in new targets for sexual dysfunction therapy," said Christianson, the Edmund and Louise Kahn Professor in the Natural Sciences. "Arginase should be a target in men and women alike, insofar as sexual dysfunction arises in both from circulation defects in the genitalia."

Offering the means to strike that target, Christianson and his co-authors pinpoint the amino acid derivative S-(2-boronoethyl)-L-cysteine, also known as BEC, as one of the tightest-binding arginase inhibitors ever identified. BEC joins another powerful arginase-blocking compound, (S)-2-amino-6-boronohexanoic acid, which was identified by Christianson in 1999.

In the chemical pathway that leads to sexual arousal in both sexes, arginase comes into play somewhat before phosphodiesterase V, the target molecule of Viagra – which could present a new solution for the roughly 3 in 10 men for whom that medication is ineffective. Viagra has shown even less success in preliminary studies of female sexual dysfunction.

Healthy sexual function in both genders relies on a biochemical cascade as carefully orchestrated as any courtship ritual. At one critical step in that pathway, nitric oxide synthase converts arginine, one of the 20 human amino acids, into citrulline and nitric oxide. The latter product is said to be the principal mediator of penile erection; it facilitates neurotransmission and causes rapid relaxation of smooth muscle in the penis’ spongy tissue, allowing the thousands of tiny vessels there to swell with blood.

Arginase can derail this reaction by sequestering arginine and breaking it down into compounds unrelated to those physiologically responsible for arousal, depriving the genitalia of the nitric oxide needed for sexual function.

"Both Viagra and BEC function by blocking enzymes that can degrade key chemical players in this pathway," Christianson said. "The difference is that Viagra works several steps later than arginase-inhibiting compounds."

Erectile dysfunction, which afflicts half of men older than 40 to some extent, occurs when this enzyme-mediated pathway goes awry, impeding blood flow in and out of the penis. Female sexual dysfunction can also result from impaired blood flow to the genitalia. Sexual difficulties in both genders often manifest themselves as side effects of heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and the use of certain medications such as antidepressants.

Working with tissue taken from men undergoing penile prosthetic implantation, Christianson and his colleagues verified for the first time that arginase is present in the human penis. The group also found that administering BEC enhanced smooth muscle relaxation in human penile tissue, which triggers erection by allowing the penis’ spongy tissue to fill with blood.

Christianson is corresponding author of the two Biochemistry papers. He was joined by J. David Cox, Ricky F. Baggio and Evis Cama of Penn and authors at Boston University, Temple University, the University of Pittsburgh, the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia and Université Paris. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Source: Science Daily

Beyond Viagra: Other Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors Are Candidates For Potential Therapies

2009-08-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

The same basic process used by the popular pharmaceutical Viagra may someday help people suffering from a variety of conditions, from allergies to diabetes. Viagra’s success has raised interest in the growing study of phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors, says Joseph Beavo, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Viagra works by inhibiting one specific type of enzyme called a cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase. "There is not just one, but many phosphodiesterases. Different PDEs are expressed in different tissues and in different parts of the cell, and have different physiological functions. The challenge has been for the drug companies to find agents that are selective for specific phosphodiesterases so that they can treat the disease without causing toxic side effects," Beavo says.

Beavo discussed PDEs and their inhibitors during the "Signal Transduction" panel at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting here today.

The different PDEs make up a large class of enzymes. Beavo and his colleagues discovered many of the 11 families that are recognized so far. These enzymes are found throughout the body, where they modulate many important functions. For example, they play a key role in many sensory processes including vision and smell. They may even play a role in learning and memory. On the one hand, this means that drugs regulating PDEs may someday provide a treatment for people with vision or memory problems. But at the same time, any researcher wanting to use PDE inhibitors to treat one specific part of the body must make sure that the therapy does not interfere with other PDEs – such as the ones involved in vision or memory.

Most PDE inhibitors currently available as medication affect PDEs in multiple organs, and so their use is often limited by their toxic side effects. Viagra, introduced in 1999, became a poster child for PDE research in part because of its selectivity.

"Viagra was the first really successful PDE inhibitor, both mechanistically and commercially," Beavo says. Viagra has generated more than $1 billion in sales. It is among the most widely prescribed drugs.

Viagra is a very selective drug. It acts on one specific PDE found in the penis. In the presence of nitric oxide, a signaling molecule released from the nerves in the penis, inhibition of this PDE helps cause an erection.

Here is why inhibition of the PDE has that effect: nitric oxide causes the production of a secondary signaling chemical, cyclic GMP, which leads to erection. During sexual stimulation, men with erectile dysfunction may have trouble producing enough cGMP. Normally, the PDE breaks down the cGMP into molecules that cannot cause erection. By inhibiting the breakdown of cGMP, Viagra leads to more cGMP. In other words, PDEs cause reductions in the needed chemical in the penis, and Viagra blocks the PDE to prevent this from happening. Viagra generally does not have side effects caused by inhibition of other PDEs.

"We use Viagra's mechanism of action as a beautiful example of drug and physiological selectivity when we talk to students," Beavo says. Researchers are now seeking other PDE inhibitors that will also act selectively, without toxic side effects throughout the body. Since many PDEs have been discovered only within the past year, the search is just beginning.

Beavo’s lab recently characterized PDE7 and PDE8, which can be induced in certain kinds of immune cells -- particularly T-cells. These two families of PDE do not break down cGMP; instead, they reduce cAMP, a similar signaling molecule, found in those immune cells. Since these PDEs appear to be very important for immune system activity, researchers are studying whether inhibitors of these enzymes might have an effect on anti-immune and hyper-inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and allergies. Other PDEs are thought to mediate other processes. PDE3 affects insulin secretion (with potential involvement in diabetes) and leptin signaling (with dietary and fat implications). Researchers at drug companies and other universities are examining how PDE inhibitors may be used to improve memory, treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and blood clotting disorders. In all of these examples, considerable work and testing will be needed before there are clinical benefits, Beavo said.

Source: Science Daily

Study Appears To Suggest That Use Of Viagra May Have Adverse Cardiovascular Effects

2009-08-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

A limited study conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, and utilizing post-marketing adverse event reports made to the FDA, shows that there appears to be a high number of deaths and serious cardiovascular events associated with the use of Viagra, the most commonly prescribed therapy for erectile dysfunction in men. These findings will be presented March 14 at the meeting of the American College of Cardiologists in Anaheim, CA. Presenters will be Sanjay Kaul, M.D., and Babak Azarbal, M.D.

In an analysis of 1,473 major adverse events, 522 people died, the majority due to cardiovascular causes. According to the study's senior author, Dr. Kaul, the majority of deaths were associated with standard Viagra dosages (70 percent of the deaths were associated with the 50 mg dose), were due to cardiovascular causes and appeared to be clustered around the time of dosing (two thirds of deaths in which the time from ingestion to death was reported, occurred within 4-5 hours of taking Viagra). The majority of deaths occurred in patients who were less than 65 years of age, and who had no reported cardiac risk factors.

The study confirmed the well-documented increased risk with combined use of nitrates and Viagra. Of the 90 patients who were on nitrates and taking Viagra, death occurred in about 68 percent, and death or myocardial infarction occurred in 88 percent. However, the study showed that most deaths (88 percent) actually occurred in patients who were not taking nitrates, leading investigators to speculate whether there are some susceptible individuals who don't need nitrates to unmask the harmful effects of Viagra.

Source: Science Daily

Erectile Dysfunction Lower In Men Who Have Intercourse More Often

2009-08-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Having intercourse more often may help prevent the development of erectile dysfunction (ED). A new study reports that researchers have found that men who had intercourse more often were less likely to develop ED.

Analyzing a five-year study of 989 men aged 55 to 75 years from Pirkanmaa, Finland, the investigators observed that men reporting intercourse less than once per week at baseline had twice the incidence of erectile dysfunction compared with those reporting intercourse once per week. Further, the risk of erectile dysfunction was inversely related to the frequency of intercourse.

Other factors that may affect the incidence of ED, such as age, chronic medical conditions (diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease and depression), body mass index and smoking were included in the analysis of the data.

Erectile dysfunction incidence was 79 cases per 1000 in men who had reported sexual intercourse less than once per week, dropping to 32 cases per 1000 in men reporting intercourse once per week and falling further to 16 per 1000 in those reporting intercourse 3 or more times per week.

In addition, the frequency of morning erections predicted the development of complete erectile dysfunction, with an approximate 2.5-fold risk among those with less than 1 morning erection per week compared with 2 to 3 morning erections per week

Writing in the article, Juha Koskimäki, MD, PhD, Tampere University Hospital, Department of Urology, Tampere, Finland, states; "Regular intercourse has an important role in preserving erectile function among elderly men, whereas morning erection does not exert a similar effect. Continued sexual activity decreases the incidence of erectile dysfunction in direct proportion to coital frequency."

The study clearly indicates that regular intercourse protects men from the development of erectile dysfunction, which may, in turn, impact general health and quality of life. The investigators advise clinicians to support the sexual activity of their patients.

Source: Science Daily

Smoking Increases Likelihood Of Impotency

2009-08-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

Men who smoke are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction than nonsmokers, reports an international group of impotency experts in the November issue of the Journal of Urology.

Erectile dysfunction is the inability to achieve or maintain an erection suitable for sexual intercourse. It is estimated that over 30 million American men have some form of erectile dysfunction.

The research consortium, headed by Kevin T. McVary, associate professor of urology at Northwestern University Medical School, found strong parallels and shared risks among smoking, coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis and erectile dysfunction. Results of the group’s review showed that smoking exacerbates the well-known negative effects of coronary artery disease and hypertension on a man’s ability to achieve and maintain an erection.

In addition, prevalence of erectile dysfunction in former smokers was no different from that in men who had never smoked. McVary said that the vascular system in the penis is subject to the same degenerative diseases of blood vessels of the heart, kidneys, brain and major vascular systems. Smoking alters the ability of blood to coagulate and accelerates hypertension by promoting vasoconstriction and atherosclerosis. In turn, hypertension increases the need for drugs that induce or worsen erectile dysfunction.

The underlying cause of erectile dysfunction in smoking is poorly understood, but there is evidence that smoking may impair production of nitric oxide, the principal "chemical messenger" involved in penile erection, in the cells that line blood vessels. Nitric oxide also plays an important role in cardiovascular health and inhibition of apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

While the results of the group’s study indicated that erectile dysfunction is linked to smoking and its related health risks, additional basic and clinical science studies will be required to determine the exact mechanism of the smoking effect and establish clinical practice guidelines for men with erectile dysfunction.

Scientists from the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, McGill University Medical School, Montreal, and other members of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America also contributed to this study.

Source: Science Daily

Research Links Erectile Dysfunction And Cardiovascular Disease

2009-08-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Preliminary findings from clinicians at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), show that men with erectile dysfunction are more likely to have cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease affects approximately 40 000 Canadian men annually.

"Our study suggests, that erectile dysfunction, particularly in young men, may be an early warning sign of heart disease and stroke," says MUHC Director of Clinical Epidemiology and lead investigator, Dr. Steven Grover.

Dr. Grover, who is also a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, and his colleagues evaluated more than 4 000 men. They compared the risk of erectile dysfunction among patients with and without cardiovascular disease. "We found that the presence of cardiovascular disease was strongly associated with erectile dysfunction," says Dr. Grover."

Among men without diagnosed cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure and low HDL cholesterol were more common among those who had erectile dysfunction. This suggests that the men who have erectile dysfunction and have no other symptoms of cardiovascular disease may be at increased risk for developing the disease.

Accordingly, a complete diagnostic evaluation of erectile dysfunction should include screening for cardiovascular risk factors."

This study was selected as the winner of the Yamanouchi Impotence Best Abstract Series Award by the American Urological Association (AUA) and the findings will be presented today, at the Annual Meeting of the AUA.

This study was funded by Pfizer Canada Inc.

Source: Science Daily

Erectile Dysfunction Gives Early Warning Of A Heart Attack, Warns Expert

2009-08-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

Erectile dysfunction gives a two to three year early warning of a heart attack, warns an expert on the British Medical Journal website.

But the link between erectile dysfunction and the risk of heart disease is being ignored by doctors, writes Dr Geoffrey Hackett from the Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham.

Over many years Hackett reports regularly seeing patients referred with erectile dysfunction after a heart attack, only to hear that they had developed erectile dysfunction two to three years before—a warning sign ignored by their general practitioners.

It is well known that erectile dysfunction (a symptom of vascular disease in the smaller arteries) doubles the risk of heart disease, a risk equivalent to being a moderate smoker or having an immediate family history of heart disease. Erectile dysfunction in type 2 diabetes has been shown to be a better predictor of the risk of heart disease than high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

But despite this considerable evidence erectile dysfunction is still treated as a recreational or "lifestyle issue" rather than a predictor of a serious health problem, says Hackett.

The UK government has pledged to reduce the death rate from coronary heart disease and stroke and related diseases in people under 75 by at least 40% by 2010, yet there is no screening for erectile dysfunction in patients with diabetes or heart disease, he says.

"Continuing to ignore these issues on the basis that cardiologists feel uncomfortable mentioning the word 'erection' to their patients or that they may have to deal with the management of a positive response, is no longer acceptable and possibly, based on current evidence, clinically negligent", he concludes.

Source: Science Daily

Newest Hypertension Drugs May Improve Sexual Function

2009-08-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sexual dysfunction in men with high blood pressure may be aided by the newest type of hypertension drug, reported Carlos Ferrario, M.D., of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (WFUBMC), today at the American Heart Association's annual conference.

After 12 weeks of treatment with the new drug losartan, 88 percent of hypertensive males with sexual dysfunction reported improvement in at least one area of sexuality. The number of men reporting impotence dropped from 75.3 percent to 11.8 percent.

"These results suggest a possible solution for people who've stopped taking blood pressure medicines because they interfere with sexual function," said Ferrario director of WFUBMC's Hypertension and Vascular Disease Center. "In addition to controlling blood pressure as well or better than other medications, losartan seems to have a positive effect on sexuality."

The study was conducted in Spain by Ferrario and colleagues at the University of Valencia School of Medicine and Hospital Marina Alta. It used a self-administered questionnaire to screen 323 men and women with hypertension for sexual dysfunction, which includes decreased libido, impotence, and poor sexual satisfaction. Sexual dysfunction was diagnosed in 82 men, a prevalence of 42 percent.

These 82 men were compared to an equal number of men without sexual dysfunction. Both groups took 50 to 100 milligrams of losartan (sold under the brand name of Cozaar) daily for 12 weeks. They completed the questionnaire at both the beginning and end of the treatment period.

In the men with sexual dysfunction, 88 percent reported improvement in at least one area of sexual function after treatment with losartan. The number reporting overall sexual satisfaction increased from 7.3 percent to 58.5 percent. The number reporting a high frequency (at least once a week) of sexual activity improved from 40.5 percent to 62.3 percent. An improved quality of life was reported by 73.7 percent of the men with sexual dysfunction.

Similar results were reported in a small group of women treated with losartan. The sample size, however, was too small for the results to be statistically validated.

In the group of men without sexual dysfunction, the drug treatment produced no changes in sexual function or satisfaction.

Ferrario said the results are promising and point to the need for additional research.

"This study was performed in a non-random sample, so we must be careful in extrapolating the findings to the general hypertensive population," said Ferrario. "However, the consistent nature of the findings points out the need for larger clinical trials on this subject."

In the study, losartan was equal to or better than other drugs at controlling blood pressure. Losartan works by blocking angiotensin, a hormone that causes high blood pressure, and keeping it from binding to body tissues.

"Our finding that impotence improved in men taking losartan supports the theory that angiotensin contributes to sexual dysfunction," said Ferrario. "This helps debunk the myth that impotence is caused by hypertension drugs. In fact, it appears that sexual dysfunction is part of the hypertension disease process. Certain drugs, such as beta blockers and diuretics, can aggravate sexual dysfunction, but we don't believe they cause it."

Ferrario said losartan may improve sexual function and satisfaction in two ways: by acting on blood vessels in the penis that have been damaged by high blood pressure and by acting in the brain to improve well-being.

"Aside from its vascular effects, losartan may affect the central nervous system," said Ferrario. "This suggestion comes from findings that sexual satisfaction improved even in men who had reported having sex once a day."

The research was funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Merck Sharp & Dohme Spain to the Spanish investigators.

Source: Science Daily

Premature Ejaculation May Be A Genetic Disorder

2009-08-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

Premature ejaculation can be embarrassing, but a new study suggests that it might be a genetic disorder.

Researchers from Turku, Finland, interviewed more than three thousand men - all pairs of male twins and their older or younger brothers - about the first time they had sex. Many participants in the study reported that they had suffered from erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation at their first sexual encounter.

These common problems are often attributed to external factors, such as intoxication or nervousness due to peer pressure. This research confirms that such factors do cause erectile dysfunction. On the other hand, premature ejaculation appears to be strongly linked to genetic factors, and is not just psychological.

In an earlier study, researchers in The Netherlands linked premature ejaculation to a gene for serotonin regulation in a group of two hundred men. The new data from Finland independently show a genetic link to premature ejaculation in a much larger group, and rule out environmental factors.

Faculty of 1000 Medicine member David Goldmeier notes that the increasing evidence for a genetic cause of premature ejaculation opens the way for the development of new drug treatments - something that many men might benefit from. However, both Goldmeier and reviewer Taylor Segraves emphasize that drug therapy is not the only solution: psychotherapy will continue to be a valuable and useful form of treatment for sexual dysfunctions - even those with a genetic cause.

The study by Pekka Santtila, Kenneth Sandnabba and Patrick Jern was published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy in March 2009.

Source: Science Daily

Sexual Competition Drives Evolution Of A Sex-related Gene

2009-08-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

In what could be termed a truly seminal discovery, researchers have shown that when females are more promiscuous, males have to work harder -- at the genetic level, that is. More specifically, they determined that a protein controlling semen viscosity evolves more rapidly in primate species with promiscuous females than in monogamous species. The finding demonstrates that sexual competition among males is evident at the molecular level, as well as at behavioral and physiological levels.

The researchers, led by Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Bruce Lahn at the University of Chicago, published their findings in the November 7, 2004, issue of Nature Genetics.

Lahn's group studied semenogelin, a major protein in the seminal fluid that controls the viscosity of semen immediately following ejaculation. In some species of primates, it allows semen to remain quite liquid after ejaculation, but in others, semenogelin molecules chemically crosslink with one another, increasing the viscosity of semen. In some extreme cases, semenogelin's effects on viscosity are so strong that the semen becomes a solid plug in the vagina. According to Lahn, such plugs might serve as a sort of molecular "chastity belt" to prevent fertilization by the sperm of subsequent suitors, though they might also prevent semen backflow to increase the likelihood of fertilization.

Lahn and his colleagues compared the SEMG2 gene, which contains the blueprint for semenogelin, from a variety of primates. They began by sequencing the SEMG2 gene in humans, chimpanzees, pygmy chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, gibbons, macaques, colobus monkeys, and spider monkeys. These species were chosen because they represent all the major mating systems, including those in which one female copulates with one male in a fertile period (such as gorillas and gibbons); those in which females copulate highly promiscuously (such as chimpanzees and macaques); and those in which mating practices fall somewhere in between (such as orangutans where a female will copulate with the dominant male, but may also copulate with other males opportunistically).

"When we plotted data on the evolution rate of the semenogelin protein against the level of female promiscuity, we saw a clear correlation whereby species with more promiscuous females showed much higher rates of protein evolution than species with more monogamous females," said Lahn. The researchers measured protein evolution rates by counting the number of amino acid changes in the protein, then scaling it to the amount of evolutionary time taken to make those changes.

"The idea is that in species with promiscuous females, there's more selective pressure for the male to make his semen more competitive. It's similar to the pressures of a competitive marketplace. In such a marketplace, competitors have to constantly change their products to make them better, to give them an edge over their rivals -- whereas, in a monopoly, there's no incentive to change."

The finding constitutes the first specific evidence that different levels of sexual competition produce different genetic effects, said Lahn. It had been established previously that levels of polyandry -- the mating of one female with more than one male -- affected physiological traits. For example, more polyandrous species have larger testes capable of producing more sperm. There is a metabolic cost to such adaptation, Lahn said, and in species where there is no competition, the cost is not worth the effort.

"Now, for the first time, we show such competitive effects, not only at the level of physiology, but of individual genes," said Lahn. "The genes have to adapt faster for any given male to gain an edge over his competitors."

According to Lahn, while other studies have indicated that male reproductive genes in general tend to evolve more rapidly than other genes, "this study extends those observations to a more quantitative level, showing that the rate of evolution actually correlates with how intense the sexual selection is."

Source: Science Daily

Sex Really Does Get Better With Age (Just Ask A 70 Year Old)

2009-08-11T03:23:00.000-07:00

An increasing number of 70 year olds are having good sex and more often, and women in this age group are particularly satisfied with their sex lives, according to a study published on the British Medical Journal website.

Knowledge about sexual behaviour in older people (70 year olds) is limited and mainly focuses on sexual problems, less is known about "normal" sexual behaviour in this age group.

Nils Beckman and colleagues from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, studied attitudes to sex in later life among four representative population samples of 70 year olds in Sweden, who they interviewed in 1971-2, 1976-7, 1992-3, and 2000-1. In total, over 1 500 people aged 70 years were interviewed about different aspects of their sex lives including sexual dysfunctions, marital satisfaction and sexual activity.

The authors found that over the thirty year period the number of 70 year olds of both sexes reporting sexual intercourse increased: married men from 52% to 68%, married women from 38% to 56%, unmarried men from 30% to 54%, and unmarried women from 0.8% to 12%.

In addition, the number of women reporting high sexual satisfaction increased, more women reported having an orgasm during sex and fewer reported never having had an orgasm.

While the proportion of women reporting low satisfaction with their sex lives decreased, the proportion of men reporting low satisfaction increased. The authors suggest that this might be because it is now more acceptable for men to admit "failure" in sexual matters.

They also note that the number of men reporting erectile dysfunction deceased, whereas the proportion reporting ejaculation dysfunction increased, but the proportion reporting premature ejaculation did not change.

Interestingly, both men and women blame men when sexual intercourse stops between them. This finding replicates the results of other studies in the 1950s and 2005-06.

"Our study...shows that most elderly people consider sexual activity and associated feelings a natural part of later life", they conclude.

These findings emphasise the important and positive part sex plays in the lives of 70 year olds and is a welcome contribution to the limited literature about sexual behaviour in older people, writes Professor Peggy Kleinplatz from the University of Ottawa in Canada.

It will hopefully highlight the need for doctors to be trained to ask all patients, regardless of age, about their sexual concerns, she adds.

Source: Science Daily

Sperm Counts Unchanged Over 50 Years

2009-08-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

Although many American men have at least one type of abnormality in their sperm, they are just as virile as their grandfathers, researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California have found. In fact, their sperm densities were no different from samples collected in major studies in the 1950s.

"Everything in our study indicates that the average man's sperm count is not changing," said study co-author Rebecca Sokol, M.D., of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The results are published in the March issue of the journal Fertility and Sterility.

Sokol and her colleagues looked at semen samples collected from 1,385 men at LAC+USC Medical Center over a three-year period between 1994 and 1997. At the time samples were taken, the men were partners of women who were seeking infertility treatment.

Examining total sperm counts and semen abnormalities, the investigators found that of the half who showed some sperm abnormality, based on World Health Organization criteria, 52% had sperm that were borderline low in mortality; 18% had abnormal sperm concentration, and 14% had abnormally shaped sperm.

Previous studies popularized in the press claimed that male sperm counts were declining because of everything from pollution to sedentary jobs to tight underwear - and even spending too long in the car.

Sokol said this new study was both large and well designed, so that the results can be trusted to be an accurate reflection of sperm quality among American men. She noted that, coincidentally, the pool of men who provided semen samples primarily worked in blue-collar jobs that could have exposed them to significant environmental toxins - so if a drop was found and if pollutants were the cause, it would have been likely to be represented in the findings. Sokol and her colleagues nevertheless found that values for the average sperm count were identical to the count reported in the 1950s.

Source: Science Daily

Testosterone Deficiency Relatively Rare In Men

2009-08-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

A new study reveals that relatively few men, only 5.6 percent of the male population, actually suffer from low testosterone accompanied by clinical symptoms. That percentage, however, rises substantially with age.

Low testosterone levels are typically defined as less than 300 ng/dL (nanograms per deciliter) of total testosterone and less than 5 ng/dL of free testosterone. Free testosterone is the amount of the hormone unbound to other proteins and is “free” to work inside the body. “Low levels of testosterone impact many aspects of male physiology,” said Andre B. Araujo, Ph.D., a research scientist at the New England Research Institutes in Watertown, Mass., and lead author of the study. “This is particularly significant because the ongoing aging of the U.S. male population is likely to cause the number of men suffering from androgen deficiency to increase appreciably.”

Consistent with a recently issued Clinical Practice Guideline from the Endocrine Society, symptomatic androgen deficiency in the study by Araujo and colleagues is defined as low total and free testosterone plus the presence of low libido, erectile dysfunction, osteoporosis or facture, or two or more of the following symptoms: sleep disturbance, depressed mood, lethargy, or diminished physical performance.

For this study, the researchers analyzed data on 1,475 randomly selected men enrolled in the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey. The survey tracked subjects between the ages of 30-79 and compiled complete data on factors such as testosterone, symptoms of hormone deficiency, and medications that may impact sex hormone levels. Among all men in the study (mean age 47.3 plus-or-minus 12.5 years), approximately 24 percent had low total testosterone and 11 percent had low levels of free testosterone. Interestingly, while low testosterone levels were associated with symptoms, many men with low testosterone levels were asymptomatic (e.g., among men aged 50 years and older 47.6 percent were asymptomatic).

“Since these men would not likely come to clinical attention,” said Araujo, “it may be important to determine whether there are clinical risks to missing these asymptomatic men with low testosterone levels.” Overall, only 5.6 percent of men in the study had symptomatic androgen deficiency. For those men in the upper range of ages in the study (70 years or older), however, the percentage increased to 18.4 percent.

The researchers predicted that by the year 2025 there may be as many as 6.5 million American men 30-79 years of age with symptomatic androgen deficiency, an increase of 38 percent from year 2000 population estimates.

“This study did not assess whether men with symptomatic androgen deficiency are good candidates for testosterone therapy,” said Araujo. “Well designed randomized placebo-controlled trials would be needed to address the risks and benefits of testosterone therapy.”

The BACH Survey was supported by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (Grant DK 56842). Analyses for the current study were supported through an unrestricted educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.

A rapid release version of this paper has been published on-line and will appear in the November 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, a publication of The Endocrine Society.

Source: Science Daily

Premature Ejaculation: It's Not All In Your Head

2009-08-07T03:47:00.000-07:00

In a four-week study of 1,587 men, researchers report that men who suffer from premature ejaculation (PE) had an average intravaginal ejaculatory latency time (IELT) of 1.8 minutes, compared to 7.3 minutes in men who did not. Men with PE and their female partners also had higher ratings for personal distress, interpersonal difficulty with their partner, lack of ejaculation control, and dissatisfaction with sexual intercourse.

This scientific study, appearing in the May issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine, is the first large epidemiologic study to define patient populations of those with (207) and without (1380) premature ejaculation by measuring average times to ejaculation with stopwatches. This average, or IELT, is defined as the time between the start of vaginal intromission and the start of intravaginal ejaculation.

This study is also one of the first data sets to address the concerns of female partners. Both members of the couples studied were asked to report on a variety of subjective factors. Significant overlap in IELT was observed between the groups who suffered from PE and those without. Thus, the study data suggest IELT may not be sufficient to diagnose PE, and that subjective factors, like lack of control, may also be valid indicators.

"Most people think uni-dimensionally about PE in terms of considering it a disorder of time," states Stanley E. Althof, Ph.D., corresponding author of the study. "This article demonstrates that subjective factors like sense of control, distress, and sexual satisfaction need to be considered when treating this highly prevalent disorder."

PE is the most common male sexual dysfunction affecting men and their partners. However, available data suggest that only 1-12% of males self-reporting receive treatment for their dysfunction. According to The Journal of Sexual Medicine editor Irwin Goldstein, most physicians do not inquire about the existence of premature ejaculation when the patient has other sexual complaints or when the partner has orgasmic dysfunction. As seen in this study, premature ejaculation adversely affects sexual satisfaction, and partner distress is a common motivation for afflicted men to seek treatment.

Source: Science Daily

Protein Translation In Sperm

2009-08-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

A new paper in the February 15th issue of Genes & Development lends novel insight into the cellular changes that occur in sperm while they reside in the female reproductive tract -- providing a new understanding of the molecular genetics of successful fertilization.

It had been believed for decades that spermatozoa are translationally silent. However, Dr. Yael Gur and Haim Breitbart (Bar-Ilan University, Israel) now show that, in fact, protein translation does take place in mammalian sperm prior to fertilization.

Their paper has been released online ahead of print at www.genesdev.org.

After ejaculation, sperm reside in the female reproductive tract for several hours. During this time, a number of biochemical changes take place within sperm, collectively known as "capacitation," that render the sperm competent to penetrate and fertilize the female oocyte.

In their new report, Drs. Gur and Breitbart demonstrate that human, rat, bovine and mouse sperm all incorporate labeled amino acids into polypeptides during the capacitation phase. They identify that mitochondrial translation machinery (as opposed to cytoplasmic) directs translation of nuclear-encoded genes in sperm, and that its inhibition leads to a marked decrease in sperm motility, actin polymerization, the acrosome reaction and in vitro fertilization rates.

Thus, protein translation in sperm is essential for sperm functions that directly contribute to fertilization. Dr. Breitbart is confident that "The new findings would give us better understanding for treatment of male infertility and developing new male or female contraceptives."

Source: Science Daily

Daily Sex Helps Reduce Sperm DNA Damage And Improve Fertility

2009-08-05T03:58:00.000-07:00

Daily sex (or ejaculating daily) for seven days improves men’s sperm quality by reducing the amount of DNA damage, according to an Australian study presented June 30 to the 25th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Amsterdam.

Until now there has been no evidence-based consensus amongst fertility specialists as to whether or not men should refrain from sex for a few days before attempting to conceive with their partner, either spontaneously or via assisted reproduction.

Dr David Greening, an obstetrician and gynaecologist with sub specialist training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Sydney IVF, Wollongong, Australia, said: “All that we knew was that intercourse on the day of ovulation offered the highest chance of pregnancy, but we did not know what was the best advice for the period leading up to ovulation or egg retrieval for IVF.

“I thought that frequent ejaculation might be a physiological mechanism to improve sperm DNA damage, while maintaining semen levels within the normal, fertile range.”

To investigate this hypothesis, Dr Greening studied 118 men who had higher than normal sperm DNA damage as indicated by a DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI). Men who had a more than 15% of their sperm (DFI >15%) damaged were eligible for the trial. At Sydney IVF, sperm DNA damage is defined as less than 15% DFI for excellent quality sperm, 15-24% DFI for good, 25-29% DFI for fair and more than 29% DFI for poor quality; but other laboratories can have slightly different ranges.

The men were instructed to ejaculate daily for seven days, and no other treatment or lifestyle changes were suggested. Before they started, levels of DNA damage ranged between 15% and 98% DFI, with an average 34% DFI when measured after three days’ abstinence. When the men’s sperm was re-assessed on the seventh day, Dr Greening found that 96 men (81%) had an average 12% decrease in their sperm DNA damage, while 22 men (19%) and an average increase in damage of nearly 10%. The average for the whole group dropped to 26% DFI.

Dr Greening said: “Although the mean average was 26% which is in the ‘fair’ range for sperm quality, this included 18% of men whose sperm DNA damage increased as well as those whose DNA damage decreased. Amongst the men whose damage decreased, their average dropped by 12% to just under 23% DFI, which puts them in the ‘good’ range. Also, more men moved into the ‘good’ range and out of the ‘poor’ or ‘fair’ range. These changes were substantial and statistically highly significant.

“In addition, we found that although frequent ejaculation decreased semen volume and sperm concentrations, it did not compromise sperm motility and, in fact, this rose slightly but significantly.

“Further research is required to see whether the improvement in these men’s sperm quality translates into better pregnancy rates, but other, previous studies have shown the relationship between sperm DNA damage and pregnancy rates.

“The optimal number of days of ejaculation might be more or less than seven days, but a week appears manageable and favourable. It seems safe to conclude that couples with relatively normal semen parameters should have sex daily for up to a week before the ovulation date. In the context of assisted reproduction, this simple treatment may assist in improving sperm quality and ultimately achieving a pregnancy. In addition, these results may mean that men play a greater role in infertility than previously suspected, and that ejaculatory frequency is important for improving sperm quality, especially as men age and during assisted reproduction cycles.”

Dr Greening said he thought the reason why sperm quality improved with frequent ejaculation was because the sperm had a shorter exposure in the testicular ducts and epididymis to reactive oxygen species – very small molecules, high levels of which can damage cells. “The remainder of the men who had an increase in DFI might have a different explanation for their sperm DNA damage,” he concluded.

Source: Science Daily

Obese Men Have Less Semen, More Sperm Abnormalities

2009-08-05T03:48:00.000-07:00

Obese men should consider losing weight if they want to have children, a scientist told the 24th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology July 9. Dr. A Ghiyath Shayeb, from the University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK, said that his research had shown that men with a higher body mass index (BMI) had lower volumes of seminal fluid and a higher proportion of abnormal sperm.

Dr. Shayeb and colleagues looked at the results of seminal fluid analysis in 5316 men attending Aberdeen Fertility Centre with their partners for difficulties in conceiving. 2037 of these men had complete data on their BMIs. "We felt that it was possible that male overweight might contribute to fertility problems," he said, "particularly since it is a known risk factor for problems in conceiving among women."

The scientists divided the men into four groups according to their BMI, from being underweight to being considerably overweight. Taking into account other characteristics that could confound the analysis, such as smoking, alcohol intake, age, social deprivation, and the length of time of abstinence from sex prior to producing a semen sample for analysis, they looked for a relationship between BMI and semen quality. The analysis showed that the men in Group B, who had an optimal BMI (20-25, as classified by WHO), had higher levels of normal sperm than those in the other groups. They also had higher semen volume. There was no significant difference between the four BMI groups in sperm concentration or motility.

The researchers did not look at DNA damage in the sperm, preferring to look at the parameters of the routine semen analysis, which all men attending the fertility centre will have at least once. "Other studies have suggested an association between male obesity and increased DNA damage in the sperm, which can be associated with reduced fertility as well," said Dr. Shayeb.

"Our findings were quite independent of any other factors," he said, "and seem to suggest that men who are trying for a baby with their partners, should first try to achieve an ideal body weight. This is in addition to the benefit of a healthy BMI for their general well being.

"Adopting a healthy lifestyle, a balanced diet, and regular exercise will, in the vast majority of cases, lead to a normal BMI. We are pleased to be able to add improved semen quality to the long list of benefits that we know are the result of an optimal body weight."

The team intends to follow up their research by comparing male BMI in fertile and infertile couples to see if the poorer semen quality correlates with reduced fertility. "There has been a significant rise in the numbers of men with poorer semen parameters in the industrialised world," said Dr. Shayeb, "but this has not been reflected so far in male infertility. To compare male BMI in these two groups therefore seemed to us to be a logical next step."

Further research is also needed on exactly how obesity affects semen production, said Dr. Shayeb. "The mechanism for the relationship could be a number of things -- different hormone levels in obese men, simple overheating of the testicles caused by excessive fat in the area, or that the lifestyle and diet that leads to obesity could also lead to poorer semen quality. We just don't know the answer yet, but this is an important question that needs urgent attention."

Source: Science Daily

Exercise Facts for Men

2009-07-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Interesting facts about exercise and health

The National Center for Health Statistics has found that a quarter of all Americans get virtually no exercise at all, putting them at higher risk of having a heart attack, diabetes and cancer.Levels of education, income and marital status seem to affect whether or not someone exercises. 1 in 4 adults with an advanced degree do high levels of exercise compared with only 1 in 7 with less than a school diploma. Men are more likely to exercise than women. People from the Southern States of America do the least exercise. The poorer you are the less exercise you do. Adults with incomes below the poverty level are 3 times less likely to exercise than adults in the highest income group.

Research undertaken at the University of Colorado has found that obese people have more trouble dissolving blood clots. A clot-busting agent called 'tissue plasminogen activator' is produced and released less in obese people who are inactive, leading to a greater likelihood of heart attacks or strokes. The study found that around half the obese participants who walked 40 to 45 minutes 5 times a week for 3 months began releasing the chemical t-PA needed to lessen their chances of getting a blood clot.

Your sex life and exercise:

A German study from Cologne University Medical Center has found that physical exercise can be as effective as Viagra in dealing with erectile dysfunction. Over 80% of their participants with mild to medium circulatory problems reported better erections compared to 74% taking Viagra!

You've made the decision to do more exercise, so what's next?

Consult an expert? It may be a good idea to consult a qualified expert if:

You have a long-standing or recent serious heath problem or

You are very overweight. Go see your doctor first to get his expert opinion on any exercise restrictions you may need to observe. You will get the most out of exercise plan if you feel confident about your abilities.

You just need guidance on a good exercise regime tailored just for you or...

you find it difficult to keep to an exercise program. it might be worth getting a personal trainer either at your home or at a gym, or both! It could be that by combining exercise with a bit of social interaction you will keep up your motivation. Fitness experts need not be expensive, choose one that is qualified and experienced.

Exercise and your heart

Get a heart workout. Your heart is most important muscle in your body and you must keep it in shape. It is this organ that you start with to build up your levels of stamina and strength. One of the most effective ways to do that is do regular aerobic exercise. That is exercise that works the large muscle groups. Cycling, swimming, stepping, brisk walking are the easiest and cheapest.

Use your pulse as a monitor to maximize the effect of your workout with the minimum input. Using a wrist monitor that displays your pulse rate makes this easier. Calculate your cardiac training range (CTR) by Firstly getting your maximum cardiac rate (MTR), something that you should not exceed during any form of exercise. To do this subtract your age from 220. Your Cardiac training range is between 70 and 85 per cent of your maximum training range. For example, if you are 40 years of age the MTR is 180 (220 minus 40)- your CTR is 126 to 153 (70 to 85 per cent of 180.

Knowing this you can adjust your workouts to get the most from the time you spend exercising. It is this area that you may need to adjust if you have a medical complaint and you should ask your doctor what range you should be aiming for.

Upping your metabolic rate

If weight loss is a major part of your exercise programme then your aim is to maximize the calories you burn up. This will depend on the amount of effort you put in. Examples are, brisk walking burns up 200 to 250 calories an hour, jogging-about 400-600, cycling 200-650.

Regular exercise can increase the amount of energy you burn up during rest. Regular exercise increases your metabolic rate for about 8 hours after each workout.

Get good equipment

There is a lot of equipment around for exercising the dollar as well as the body. Certainly the most important piece of equipment that you should invest is a good pair of trainers, even if you do not intend to jog. Exercise bikes, rowing machines, bar bells are all excellent. Anything that gets you going is good, but it is not essential. Getting fit does not have to cost you anything. Pulse rate displays are an inexpensive investment and it makes monitoring your pulse rate easy.

Monitor your progress and reward yourself

Keeping up your motivation is essential. Exercise tones up your muscles, burns up calories, helps you loose fat from different parts of your body, not just the bits you are targeting and can increase your metabolic rate. If you think you will stick to your fitness regime if you combine it with a social outing then a health club or gym is for you. Think about rewarding yourself with special treats when you meet certain goals that you set yourself, i.e. 2 weeks sticking to a fitness program, 4lbs weight loss, better body shape, etc, etc.

Your biggest reward is a long term investment in health, longer life and greater wellbeing.

Source: About.com

A sustained and painful erection (Priapism)

2009-06-13T14:52:00.001-07:00

Priapism refers to an erection, usually painful, that lasts for more than four hours and is not necessarily the result of sexual arousal. This condition develops when blood in the penis becomes trapped and unable to drain. The condition is most common between the ages of 5 to 10 years and 20 to 50 years.

Priapism needs to be treated immediately to avoid the likely outcome of permanent erectile dysfunction. Priapism does not usually resolve itself so medical attention is definitely required.

Causes of Priapism

Although up to one third of cases have no specific cause, other conditions causing priapism include:

Sickle cell anemia. Up to 42% of men with sickle cell will develop priapism.

Alcohol and cocaine abuse

Spinal cord trauma or conditions

Trauma to the genital area

Medications such as Desyrel used to treat depression, Thorazine used to treat certain mental illnesses

Medications to prevent blood clotting and drugs used to treat blood pressure can all cause priapism

Anesthesia

In rare cases some types of penile cancer can cause priapism
Penile injections designed to treat impotence can also cause priapism

Penis changes that cause priapism

In a normal erection the veins narrow and that’s what makes the penis get bigger and hard. In priapism the veins do not relax after an orgasm so the penis remains erect and usually becomes very painful.

Diagnosis of Priapism

The doctor will ask about your medical history and examine you. He may do some tests, possibly an ultrasound or angiogram and blood tests.

Treatment of Priapism

Treatment is aimed at making the erection go, then treating the underlying cause, if one can be discovered. Treatment is usually in the form of injecting a decongestant medication, often following the draining of a small amount of blood from the penis to relieve pressure. A local anesthetic to numb the penis is usually given prior to this procedure.

Surgery will be required to restore normal blood flow if the cause is a ruptured artery. A surgical shunt for low flow priapism may be required. This is inserted into the penis to divert the blood flow and restore normal blood flow and function.

People with sickle-cell disease usually receive intravenous fluids and a transfusion of blood. If that fails to have the desired effect surgery may be required.

Some men experience semi-erect and painless erections. This is usually a result of trauma where too much blood flowing into the penis, rather than narrowed veins, is the cause. This can be treated via surgery or with a catheter threaded through blood vessels in the groin.

Importance of medical intervention for Priapism

Always seek treatment as quickly as possible to avoid any future problems of permanent erectile dysfunction.

Source: About.com

Stoned Sperm

2009-05-22T14:22:00.000-07:00

A study by scientists Andrology in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University at Buffalo School of Medicine in New York 2005 found that regular smokers of cannabis have less seminal fluid and lower sperm counts. The sperm were much more likely to swim too fast too early and were, therefore, too exhausted to reach their goal fertilization of the female’s egg. Cannabis smokers also produced less sperm and less seminal fluid.

The findings from the study compared the sperm of 22 cannabis smokers and 59 fertile men. It is the first research that compares the sperm’s so called ‘swimming behavior’. The cannabis smokers were all ‘frequent users’, meaning they smoked cannabis an average of 14 times in one week over 5 years.

Dr Berkman reported that it was unclear exactly why cannabis has such an effect on sperm. One of the possibilities is that the active ingredient THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) stimulates the sperm cells and disturbs their swimming. It may block mechanism that are designed to weed out (get it?!) malfunctioning sperm.

Obviously many cannabis smokers father children. The researchers believe that if a man has borderline sperm counts cannabis smoking may ‘push them over the edge into infertility’. At the present time the researchers are unable to say how long it takes for the sperm to get back to normal if the drug is stopped.

At present this is only one study with quite a small sample. Fertility does depend on a lot of other factors, exercise, diet, health of the individual, cigarette smoking etc. Further research is needed.

Source: About.com

Birth control and family planning

2009-04-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Definition

Which form of birth control you choose depends on a number of different factors, including your health,how often you have sex,and whether or not you want children.

Alternative Names

Contraception; Family planning and contraception

Information

Here are some factors to consider when selecting a birth control method:

Effectiveness -- How well does the method prevent pregnancy? Look at the number of pregnancies in 100 women using that method over a period of one year. If an unplanned pregnancy would be viewed as potentially devastating to the individual or couple, a highly effective method should be chosen. In contrast, if a couple is simply trying to postpone pregnancy, but feels that a pregnancy could be welcomed if it occurred earlier than planned, a less effective method may be a reasonable choice.
Cost -- is the method affordable?
Health risk -- What are the potential health risks? For example, birth control pills are usually not recommended for women over age 35 who also smoke.
Partner involvement -- The willingness of a partner to accept and support a given method may affect your choice of birth control. However, you also may want to re-consider a sexual relationship with a partner unwilling to take an active and supportive role.
Permanence -- Do you want a temporary (and generally less effective) method, or a long-term or even permanent (and more effective) method?
Preventing HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) -- Many methods offer no protection against STDs. In general, condoms are the best choice for preventing STDs, especially when combined with spermicides.
Availability -- Can the method be used without a prescription, provider visit, or, in the case of minors, parental consent?
CONDOMS
A condom is a thin latex or polyurethane sheath. The male condom is placed around the erect penis. The female condom is placed inside the vagina before intercourse. Semen collects inside the condom, which must be carefully removed after intercourse.
A condom must be worn at all times during intercourse to prevent pregnancy.
Condoms are available in most drug and grocery stores. Some family planning clinics offer free condoms.
Latex condoms help prevent HIV and other STDs. Polyurethane condoms may give some protection against STDs, but they are not as effective as latex ones.
About 14 pregnancies occur over 1 year out of 100 couples using male condoms, and about 21 pregnancies occur over 1 year out of 100 couples using female condoms. They are more effective when spermicide is also used.
Risks include irritation and allergic reactions, particularly to latex.
Condoms are used only once.

SPERMICIDES

Spermicides are chemical jellies, foams, creams, or suppositories that kill sperm.
They can be purchased in most drug and grocery stores.
This method used by itself is not very effective. About 26 pregnancies occur over 1 year out of 100 women using this method alone.
Spermicides are generally combined with other methods (such as condoms or diaphragm) as extra protection.
Warning: The spermicide nonoxynol-9 can help prevent pregnancy, but also may increase the risk of HIV transmission.
Risks include irritation and allergic reactions.

DIAPHRAGM AND CERVICAL CAP

A diaphragm is a flexible rubber cup that is filled with spermicidal cream or jelly.
It is placed into the vagina over the cervix, before intercourse, to prevent sperm from reaching the uterus.
It should be left in place for 6 to 8 hours after intercourse.
Diaphragms must be prescribed by a woman's health care provider, who determines the correct type and size of diaphragm for the woman.
About 5-20 pregnancies occur over 1 year in 100 women using this method, depending on proper use.
A similar, smaller device is called a cervical cap.
Risks include irritation and allergic reactions to the diaphragm or spermicide, and urinary tract infection. In rare cases, toxic shock syndrome may develop in women who leave the diaphragm in too long. A cervical cap may cause an abnormal Pap test.

VAGINAL SPONGE

Vaginal contraceptive sponges are soft synthetic sponges saturated with a spermicide. Prior to intercourse, the sponge is moistened, inserted into the vagina, and placed over the cervix. After intercourse, the sponge is left in place for 6 to 8 hours.
It is quite similar to the diaphragm as a barrier mechanism, but you do not need to be fitted by your doctor. The sponge can be purchased over the counter.
In April 2005, the FDA granted re-approval for the Today sponge to return to the U.S. market.
About 18 to 28 pregnancies occur over one year for every 100 women using this method.
The sponge may be more effective in women who have not previously delivered a baby.
Risks include irritation, allergic reaction, trouble removing the sponge. In rare cases, toxic shock syndrome may occur.

COMBINATION BIRTH CONTROL PILLS

Also called oral contraceptives or just the "pill", this method combines the hormones estrogen and progestin to prevent ovulation.
A health care provider must prescribe birth control pills.
The method is highly effective if the woman remembers to take her pill consistently each day.
Women who experience unpleasant side effects on one type of pill are usually able to adjust to a different type.
About 2 to 3 pregnancies occur over 1 year out of 100 women who never miss a pill.
Birth control pills may decrease a woman's risk for ovarian cancer.
Birth controll pills may cause a number of side effects, including dizziness, irregular menstrual cycles, nausea, mood changes, and weight gain. In rare cases, they can lead to high blood pressure, blood clots, heart attack, and stroke.

THE MINI-PILL

The "mini-pill" is a type of birth control pill that contains only progestin, no estrogen.
It is an alternative for women who are sensitive to estrogen or cannot take estrogen for other reasons.
The effectiveness of progestin-only oral contraceptives is slightly less than that of the combination type. About 3 pregnancies occur over a 1 year period in 100 women using this method.
Risks include irregular bleeding, weight gain, and breast tenderness.

THREE-MONTH PILL (SEASONALE)

In 2003, the FDA-approved an estrogen and progestin pill called Seasonale. It is taken for three straight months, followed by one week of inactive pills.
A women gets her period about four times a year, during the 13th week of her cycle.
Seasonale is available by prescription.
Fewer than 2 out of 100 women per year get pregnant using this method.
The risks are similar to other birth control pills. Some women may have more spotting between periods.
The pills must be taken daily, preferably at the same time of day.

PROGESTIN IMPLANTS

Implants are small rods implanted surgically beneath the skin, usually on the upper arm. The rods release a continuous dose of progestin to prevent ovulation.
Implants work for 5 years. The initial cost is generally higher than some other methods, but the overall cost may be less over the 5-year period.
The Norplant implant has been removed from the U.S. market. A similar implanted rod system, Implanon, is available. It works for 3 years.
Less than 1 pregnancy occurs over 1 year out of 100 women using this type of contraception.

HORMONE INJECTIONS

Progestin injections, such as Depo-Provera, are given into the muscles of the upper arm or buttocks. This injection prevents ovulation.
A single shot works for up to 90 days.
Less than 1 pregnancy occurs over 1 year in 100 women using this method.
Sometimes the effect of this medication lasts longer than 90 days. If you are planning to become pregnant in the near future, you might consider a different method.

SKIN PATCH

The skin patch (Ortho Evra) is placed on your shoulder, buttocks, or other convenient location. It continually releases progestin and estrogen. Like other hormone methods, a prescription is required.
The patch provides weekly protection. A new patch is applied each week for three weeks, followed by one week without a patch.
About 1 pregnancy occurs over 1 year out of 100 women using this method.
Estrogen levels are higher with the patch than with birth control pills. In theory, higher estrogen levels may increase your risk of blood clots.

VAGINAL RING

The vaginal ring (NuvaRing) is a flexible ring about 2 inches wide that is placed into the vagina. It releases the hormones progestin and estrogen.
A prescription is required.
The woman inserts it herself. It stays in the vagina for 3 weeks. At the end of the third week, the woman takes the ring out for 1 week. The ring should not be removed until the end of the 3 weeks.
About 1 pregnancy occurs over 1 year out of 100 women using this method.
Side effects (nausea, breast tenderness) are less severe than those caused by birth control pills or patches.
Risks include vaginal discharge and vaginitis, as well as those similar to the combined birth control pill.

IUD

The IUD is a small plastic or copper device placed inside the woman's uterus by her health care provider. Some IUDs release small amounts of progestin. IUDs may be left in place for 5 - 10 years, depending on the device used
IUDs can be placed at almost any time.
IUDs are safe and work well. Fewer than 1 out of 100 women per year will get pregnant using an IUD.
Risks and complications include cramps, bleeding (sometimes severe), and perforation of the uterus.

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING

This method involves observing certain body changes in the woman (for example, changes in cervical mucus and basal body temperature) and recording them on a calendar to determine when ovulation occurs. The couple abstains from unprotected sex for several days before and after the day ovulation is believed to occur.
This method requires education and training in recognizing the body's changes, as well as a great deal of continuous and committed effort.
About 15 to 20 pregnancies occur over 1 year out of 100 women using this method (for those who are properly trained).

TUBAL LIGATION

During tubal ligation, a woman's fallopian tubes are cut, sealed, or blocked by a special clip, preventing eggs and sperm from entering the tubes. It is usually performed immediately after childbirth, or by laparoscopic surgery.
Tubal ligations are best for women and couples who believe they never wish to have children in the future. While viewed as a permanent method, the operation can sometimes be reversed if a woman later chooses to become pregnant.

VASECTOMY

A vasectomy is a simple, permanent procedure for men. The vas deferens (the tubes that carry sperm) are cut and sealed.
A vasectomy is performed safely in a doctors office using a local anesthetic to numb the area.
Vasectomies are best for men and couples who believe they never wish to have children in the future. While often viewed as a permanent method, they can sometimes be reversed.

EMERGENCY ("MORNING AFTER") BIRTH CONTROL

The "morning after" pill consists of two doses of hormone pills taken as soon as possible within 72 hours after unprotected intercourse.
The pill is available without a prescription for purchase by anyone 18 years and older.
The pill may prevent pregnancy by temporarily blocking eggs from being produced, by stopping fertilization, or keeping a fertilized egg from becoming implanted in the uterus.
The morning after pill may be appropriate in cases of rape; having a condom break or slip off during sex; missing two or more birth control pills during a monthly cycle; and having unplanned sex.
Risks include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, and headache.

UNRELIABLE METHODS

Coitus interruptus is the withdrawal of the penis from the vagina prior to ejaculation. Some semen frequently escapes prior to full withdrawal, enough to cause a pregnancy.
Douching shortly after sex is ineffective because sperm can make their way past the cervix within 90 seconds after ejaculation.
Breastfeeding. Despite the myths, women who are breastfeeding can become pregnant.

CALL YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER IF:

You would like to further information about birth control options
You want to start using a specific method of birth control that requires a prescription or needs to be inserted by a health care provider
You have had unprotected intercourse or method failure (for example, a broken condom) within the past 72 hours, and you do not want to become pregnant

Source: About.com

Male Orgasm

2009-04-15T02:29:00.000-07:00

The male orgasm is a complex experience. The major function of the male orgasm usually includes the ejaculation of sperm. The function of the female orgasm is less clear although there are many common features in the male and female orgasmic experience.

In the 1950s Robert Kinsey, a scientist who first explored human sexuality in any detail, described the orgasm as, 'an explosive discharge of neuromuscular tension'! There is still a lot about the male orgasm that is not entirely understood.

Ejaculation and the Male Orgasm
The male orgasm is not just about ejaculation. It is possible to have an orgasm without ejaculation.

Pre-adolescent boys may experience an orgasm without ejaculation.

Some men do not have an ejaculation until several seconds after orgasm.

Some men, who are incapable of ejaculation, are still capable of orgasm.

Some men, may experience several ejaculations and go on to have further orgasms, but without ejaculation.

Physical Experience of the Male orgasm

The male orgasm seems to have psychological as well as a physical effects. Some men say that they have a more focal experience, feeling the orgasm in the scrotum and the genital area. Other men report their orgasm as a feeling that spreads over to some parts of the body and others that their orgasm is felt all over. How much of this is physical and how much psychological is difficult to judge.

What Happens During the Male Orgasm?

During the male sex act a man's pelvic thrusts become less voluntary and other muscles of the body begin to contract rhythmically. As the orgasm begins, heart rate, blood pressure and respiration all increase.

Some Differences Between Male and Female Orgasms

Although many experiences have common ground there are differences between the male and female orgasm.
The female orgasm has the effect of sucking sperm towards the egg,(the ovum) in the fallopian tube.
Women can often experience an orgasm for a longer period of time than a man.
Women are, in general, more capable of rapidly returning to orgasm immediately after an orgasmic experience.

Control over Ejaculation during Orgasm

Ejaculation is often felt to be disappointing if it happens too quickly. A disappointment that may also be felt by your sexual partner.

Kinsey reported nocturnal emissions in 85% of men, an obvious sign of sexual excitement and in most cases, orgasm. During adolescence and the early 20s this can happen once or twice a month.

Male Multiple Orgasms

Men report multiple orgasm more than women in the Kinsey report. 14% of women reported being multiple orgasmic and between 15-20% of men.

Source: About.com

Laptops and male infertility

2009-04-09T05:33:00.000-07:00

Are you sitting with your computer on your lap? A small research project from Yefim Sheynkin at the State University of New York has found that the heat from your laptop can elevate the temperature of your scrotum by up to 2.8 degrees. That may be nice but the problem is that there is a well demonstrated link between high testicular temperature and infertility.

The team at the university plan to test whether laptops have a significant effect on the performance and quality of sperm when they look at a larger sample of men. If you are having problems concieving a baby with your partner it is maybe worth considering. Men whose sperm quality is hampering fatherhood are often told to try cooling the temperature of their scrotum by wearing looser pants and by avoiding hot baths.

The study team headed by Yefim Sheynkin have suggested heavy laptop use over a number of years "may cause irreversible or partially reversible changes in male reproductive function". We wait to see. In the meantime it may be worth placing your laptop on a table or moving it as far away from your testicles as is workable to increase your chances of parenthood.

Source: About.com

Premature Ejaculation

2009-03-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

Defined as ejaculating before either partner achieves satisfaction, premature ejaculation is one of the most common complaints affecting most men from time to time. It often occurs early in relationships when sexual excitement, some anxiety and over stimulation are common features. It is also more common in younger men who are finding out about sexual activity and sexual relationships and men of all ages after a long period without sex. Premature ejaculation is rarely caused by any underlying disease, structural or physical problems.

Performance Anxiety

Performance anxiety may be the major cause and talking to your sexual partner about your feelings may well help. Remember it is a common experience for men and women. Relax more and the problem often goes away.

Techniques to Prevent Premature Ejaculation

Self Distraction to prevent premature ejaculation

If your arousal levels are getting too high and a climax is beginning, take a deep breath and think about something else, something very boring if possible. When you are less aroused but maintaining an erection you can then continue.

Stop and Start Method for premature ejaculation

If you find yourself nearing climax withdraw your penis from your partner and allow yourself to relax enough to prevent ejaculation. By starting and stopping sexual stimulation you can learn to prolong the sex act.

Squeeze Methods can help prevent premature ejaculation

This method involves either the man or his partner squeezing (fairly firmly) the end or the tip of the penis for 10 to 20 seconds when ejaculation is imminent, withholding stimulation for about 30 seconds, then continuing stimulation. This can be repeated until ejaculation is desired. The stop and start method can be used with the squeeze method as well.

Desensitizing Creams for premature ejaculation

Creams can be used to desensitize the end of the penis. They act like a local or tropical anesthetic. Thicker condoms (or two condoms) can also desensitize by decreasing sensitivity and therefore stimulation, thus prolonging the sexual act.

More Foreplay prevents premature ejaculation

Stimulate your partner to a state of high arousal before you have your genitals touched, that way ejaculation and orgasm can be achieved about the same time.

Masturbation to prevent premature ejaculation

Practice different methods by yourself. Getting to know your feelings and sensations gives you the chance to gain confidence.

Remember getting good at sex and overcoming premature ejaculation can take a bit of time. Practice makes perfect. If you find that things are not improving then help is available from sex therapists who are experts in this field.

Source: About.com

Healthy Sperm

2009-03-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

If you are planning a family it is worth spending a few moments to read this article. It could help you maximize your fertility

How men make babies!

50 million sperm are discharged during just one ejaculation in a normal healthy male. It can take that many to begin the journey to the vagina, the cervix and on to the fallopian tubes. From all those millions of sperm only one or two will make it to a mature egg that is ready to be fertilized.

The state of sperm health research

Until recently the health of sperm was identified by microscopic observation of their speed and shape. Advances in genetics looking at the composition of sperm are leading to more accurate identification of healthy sperm.

Current research indicates that male sperm counts are declining in many parts of the world, including America and Europe. In one Danish study a 1 per cent decline per year in the sperm count has been recorded over the last 50 years. Such findings have their critics particularly in the face of more recent studies that suggest no such decline. On balance however the current wisdom suggests there is some decline in sperm counts and there seems to be consensus on at least most of the causes; the most important of which are listed below:

What can I do to make my sperm fit, healthy and potent?

It is important to remember that there is still a lot to be learnt about male fertility. We do know that a lot of the things that make sperm healthy are the things that are healthy for men anyway. So even if it takes a while for your partner to get pregnant you are not wasting your time!

Tight trousers and underwear, synthetic material and heat.

It has been suggested that all these affect fertility so get out those baggy cotton boxers! Keep the family jewels cool. It is known that the scrotum area needs to be 4 degrees lower than body temperature.

Climate.

Some experts suggest that climate and seasons, countries, regions and different years may all have an influence on sperm counts and fertility. One piece of research showed the sperm count in New York was much higher than Los Angeles, that Finland's was higher than Britain.

Hot tubs.

Frequent hot tubs have been shown to lower sperm counts. Have a shower instead.

Alcohol.

Alcohol can damage sperm. Limit your alcohol intake when you are trying to improve your fertility.

Drugs.

There are a number of drugs that affect fertility, amongst them are steroids, cytotoxic drugs used in cancer treatments and opiates. Contact your family doctor if you are on any long term medication that you are worried may affect your fertility. Doctors should always inform you of any side effects but it is always easy to check if you have forgotten.

Environmental toxins.

There is quite a lot of conflicting evidence about the substances that may cause damage to sperm. It is known that radiation causes damage and birth defects. Other substances thought to have a detrimental effect on sperm are some perfumes containing phthalates, some types of pesticides, organic mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, estrogens in water supply. Many of these substances are still the subject of on-going research.

Smoking.

Smokers have been shown to be up to half as fertile as non smokers.

Time of day

Sperm counts are higher in the morning so a.m. intercourse is best for baby making!

Excessive ejaculation and prolonged abstinence.

Both are known to affect the number and quality of sperm. Intercourse every 2 to 3 days helps maintain volume.

Diet.

A healthy balanced diet is important. Healthy body healthy sperm!

Supplements

Folic acid in combination with zinc sulfate has been shown to have often dramatic effects on sperm counts. Some men when taking these supplements increased their sperm count by as much as 74 per cent.

Seek advice

If you are concerned about your potency and think your sperm are not fit and healthy contact your family doctor. Some simple tests on your semen and a look at your general fitness will provide some answers.

Source: About.com

Psychological Treatments for Premature Ejaculation

2009-03-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

Premature ejaculation, sometimes known as rapid ejaculation, is the occurrence of ejaculation prior to the wishes of both sexual partners. The cause, or causes, are not fully understood. Explanations for premature ejaculation range from the purely biological to the purely psychological, with yet others suggesting a more complex relationship between biology and psychology. Psychological factors, however, are known to worsen or precipitate premature ejaculation which is why treatment may involve psychological therapies.

Psychological Effects of Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation can decrease self-confidence, make men reluctant to start new relationships, or lead to concerns that a partner may seek a relationship with another man. Within a relationship, men may feel misunderstood as to the extent of frustration and humiliation they regularly experience. Partners may suffer in silence for fear of upsetting their man further, or become frustrated at the apparent unwillingness of the man to fix the problem.

Benefits of Psychotherapy for Premature Ejaculation

Stanley E. Althof, Ph.D., from the Center for Marital and Sexual Health of South Florida, has analyzed the strengths and limitations of different psychological interventions for premature ejaculation. He feels that psychotherapy alone is best for men or couples where the problem is clearly psychological, for example, depression or performance anxiety. For single men not in relationships, individual psychotherapy may help to address men's reluctance to enter into relationships. For men in relationships, individual psychotherapy may help when the dysfunction appears to be rooted in childhood issues or excessive fear or hostility to women. For couples, combined psychotherapy may help where both partners are motivated to seek treatment and where the various factors involved in premature ejaculation can be explored.

Individual psychotherapy may be exploratory by examining the developmental underpinnings of reluctance to enter into relationships, and fear or hostility toward women. It can also be behavioral, in which specific techniques around learning control around ejaculation, improved attention to arousal, and anxiety management can be learned.

Couples therapy can have similar emphases, either exploratory, looking into issues in the relationship that contribute to sexual issues and premature ejaculation, or it may be behavioral, examining specific techniques around ejaculatory control and arousal that are worked on directly with the couple together (“sex therapy”).

Combining medications with psychological therapies may, according to Dr. Althof, offer the best of both worlds. The effect of certain medications to delay ejaculation can help to build confidence before psychological therapies are used. In time, the man can be taught not to fear his arousal and to attend to other sensations. Once achieved, many men can be weaned off medication completely.

Current approaches to psychotherapy emphasize control of ejaculation by learning new techniques, gaining confidence, lessening anxiety and learning better communication.

Do Psychological Therapies Work?

Sex therapy studies tend to be small and uncontrolled. This sits somewhat uncomfortably when compared with evidence-based medical research involving large, randomized controlled studies. The high success rates of bigger sex studies conducted by Masters and Johnson (1970) have never been replicated in subsequent studies. All studies with long-term follow up report a tendency for men to suffer some degree of relapse by as much as 75 percent, although sexual satisfaction overall appears relatively good.

On balance, Dr. Althof believes that psychological treatments have relevance for both men and couples, whether or not traditional psychotherapy is used alongside medicines. The results, he believes, point to an overall improvement in sexual and relationship satisfaction.

Source: About.com

Loss of interest in sex can have a number of causes

2009-03-11T03:18:00.001-07:00

Loss of interest in sex, or sexual problems such as under-arousal or premature ejaculation, can occur at any age and for any number of reasons. A general state of under arousal is often accompanied by other issues in life such as overwork, stress and/or relationship problems. Men are often fairly poor at recognizing or acknowledging psychological issues or they see it as a sign of weakness. Stress is often viewed as something that affects other people but many men simply aren't tuned in to reading the signs in themselves.

A lack of libido can sometimes be accompanied by erection problems. Rejecting lovemaking, or finding reasons to avoid sexual contact such as picking a fight or staying up to watch the late movie, can easily be interpreted by a partner as rejection. So, if your issue isn't with your partner it's important to open up to them and confront the possible reasons for the problem.

Checklist of Possible Reasons - in isolation or combination

Fatigue

Stress at work

Hormonal problems

Relationship Issues

Low mood or depression

Physical illnesses or disease

Anxiety over money

Low activity levels

Lovemaking is too routine or boring

Too much to do

If you think you fall into one or more of these areas then start talking the issues through with your partner and/or professional help. A loss of interest in sex is very often psychological but it can be physical or a combination of the two. If you think the issue is psychological then mood states can often be elevated by quite simple changes such as finding time to relax if you are doing too much, or, increasing your physical activity levels if your lifestyle is sedentary.

Source: About.com

Impotence Treatments

2009-03-08T10:31:00.000-07:00

Impotence is a very common problem. Remember one in ten men have a problem achieving and or sustaining an erection at some point in their lives. The important thing is if you have a problem that does not seem to be improving, you get help. You have read what impotence is, you have looked at the possible causes of it. Now lets look at the many treatments available for impotence.

There have been big advances in the treatments for impotence.

Psychosexual Therapy for Impotence

It is estimated that up to 90% of the cause of erectile problems have a psychological cause. This can range from relationships difficulties, performance anxiety or deeper more complex causes. An experienced counselor or therapist can help. They look at and work through these difficulties with you offering possible solutions.

Vacuum Pump Treatments for Impotence

A vacuum pump is a plastic cylinder. Vacuum pumps work by placing the device over the penis. Sucking out the air from the tube creates pressure and blood is forced rapidly into the penis (simulating what happens in an erection). A ring is then applied temporarily to the base of the penis to stop the blood draining away too quickly. This sustains the erection.

Medication Treatments for Impotence

Viagra is one of the best known medications for erectile dysfunction. You need to be sexually stimulated for viagra to be effective. Viagra works within an hour and usually lasts for three to four hours.

Transurethral therapy (Muse). A small pellet of a medication is put directly into the urethra. The urethra is the tube that runs through the penis and carries urine from the bladder and out through the tips of the penis. The drug is absorbed into the erectile tissue of the penis. It gives an erection within five to ten minutes.

Cialis. Cialis is taken 30 minutes before sexual activity. Cialis is effective only with sexual stimulation. Cialis is not an aphrodisiac and does not increase sexual desire.

Levitra. Taken 10 minutes to one hour prior to sexual activity, Levitra can be effective for up to 12 hours. Levitra is not an aphrodisiac. It does not increase sexual desire.

Uprima. This medication is a pill taken under the tongue. Uprima dissolves within about 15 minutes and is effective for up to two hours. Uprima will not work without sexual stimulation.

Injection Treatments for Impotence

A drug is injected directly into the shaft of the penis when you want to have sex. Although it sounds a bit worrying it is easy to learn. The medication usually works within about 15 minutes.

Hormone Treatments for Impotence

Hormonal problems are rarely the cause of impotence. The most common hormone abnormality is reduced levels of the male sex hormone testosterone. Testosterone can be restored to a therapeutic level with hormone replacement therapy. Testosterone replacement therapy should only be taken if you are tested and these tests confirm a deficiency.

Penile Prosthesis Treatments for Impotence

You should not consider a penile prosthesis (implant) until other forms of treatment have been tried. There are two types of penile implant,
The semi-rigid type penis implant: This penis implant keeps the penis rigid all the time. The penis can be bend it downwards when you're not having sex.
The hydraulic type penis implant: The penis to stiffens when a pump that is implanted in the scrotum is activated.

Surgical Treatments for Impotence

There are a number of surgical procedures that can be carried out if there is a treatable cause of your impotence such as abnormalities in the blood flow in and out of the penis.

Remember the causes of erectile dysfunction may be organic or psychological cause or a combination of the two. A specialist in the field of impotence are the best people to investigate and treat the cause. A starting point should be your family doctor or genitourinary specialist.

Source: About.com

Eating Disorders in Men

2009-03-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

Eating disorders have mostly been investigated within the female population. To a large extent this is because of the apparent prevalence of eating disorders in women. On closer inspection however gender distributions of eating disorders show about 10 per cent of people with anorexia are men.

Doctors fail to recognize male eating disorders

To date the evidence suggests that the gender bias of clinicians mean that diagnosing either bulimia or anorexia in men is less likely despite identical behavior. Men are more likely to be diagnosed as suffering depression with associated appetite changes than receive a primary diagnosis of an eating disorder.

Eating disorders and occupation

There are a few occupations in which the demand for low body weights can lead to anorexia or bulimia; among them are horse racing, modelling, dancing, distance running and driving.

Cultural, social issues and eating disorder

In part, the hidden problem of eating disorders in men is cultural. Women tend to discuss emotions and psychological problems more than men. Anorexia and bulimia are perceived as a woman's problems. Discussion of weight issues, weight control, linking thinness with beauty are common features in women's magazines and so are eating disorders. Young women can therefore adopt the same behavior without it being seen as too socially unacceptable.

Little recognition male eating disorders

The lack of visibility of anorexia or bulimia in the male world means a number of things. Men do not discuss eating disorders. Men tend not to share the information with other men because the subject is a female issue. Men's beauty has to do with body mass, muscle bulge and definition, not weight loss. This male world, socially defined as powerful and masculine results in men not seeking help because of their reluctance to admit to the problem.

Research into male eating disorders

A large US study of adolescents reported in 1995 does show that significant numbers of young males experiencing problem weight control behavior.
2%-3% of males diet all the time or more than ten times a year

5%-14% of males deliberately vomit after eating

12%-21% had a history of binge eating

A study published in the April 2001 American Journal of Psychiatry found many psychological similarities between men and women with eating disorders, with both groups experiencing similar symptoms.

Getting Help for male eating problems

If you are experiencing problems with weight control you are not alone. Get help by contacting your family doctor, a psychologist, mental health center or a doctor specializing in eating disorders.

Penis Spots, Lumps and Rashes

2009-03-06T13:26:00.000-08:00

When spots, lumps or rashes appear on the penis one of the first concerns many men have is whether they have a sexually transmitted disease. In most cases most spots are both common and harmless. It is the size, shape and color of the spot that helps to determine whether there is something to be concerned about.

Tiny nodules beneath the skin which appear over the scrotum and the base of the shaft of the penis are normal hair follicles.

Small pearly spots around the crown of the glans affect about 10% of all men around the ages of 20-40. These 'pearly penile papules' if diagnosed, are not infectious and require no treatment.

Small red or purple spots on the penis can appear on the glans, shaft or scrotum and usually affect younger men. Known as Fordyce spots they may appear in one's or two's but they frequently occur in patches of up to 100. These spots come about as a result of dilated blood vessels. They can look a little unsightly but they are completely harmless. No easy way is known of removing this type of spot.

A small-medium sized raised spot on the scrotum, sometimes filled with pus, is most likely just a spot or a boil.

Thick red patches with a well defined edge could spell psoriasis. Psoriasis can be inherited but is rarely serious. Typically, psoriasis of the penis will be treated by a steroid cream.

Pink-brown or skin-colored lumps with a moist surface could suggest genital warts.

A single, round and painless ulcer of the penis or scrotum could be primary syphilis.

A painless irregular genital ulcer could be penile cancer.

A single, painless but foul-smelling ulcer could be the result of a tropical disease and may be a sexually transmitted disease if sexual contact has occurred in the tropics.

Small blisters forming painful ulcers sounds like herpes simplex. This is the commonest form of genital ulceration. This is highly infectious and usually transmitted sexually. The first episode is often associated with a feverish illness.

Small gray ulcers with a red halo could be apthous ulcers. These occur in crops and can get better by themselves. However, because they are easily confused with herpes simplex a lab test is needed to determine a proper diagnosis.

Small raised papules often with a central depression could be molloscum contagiosum. This is a harmless and common viral disease in children most commonly spread through sexual contact in adults.

Irritating and burning red rash could be a condition know as balanitis.

The list above is not exhaustive. Self diagnosis of spots, lumps or rashes is not a good idea and sometimes a proper diagnosis can only be made with clinical tests. As with all genital signs and symptoms seek medical advice and practice safe sex.

Source: About.com

Semen can indicate the health status of men

2009-03-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

Besides sperm, semen is made up of 65 per cent of fluid from the seminal vesicles, 30 to 35 per cent from the prostate and 5 per cent from the vasa. Semen contains citric acid, free amino acids, fructose, enzymes, phosphorylcholine, prostaglandin, potassium, and zinc. The amount of semen produced varies from a few drops to about 6 ml.

One amount of ejaculate may contain between 40 million to 600 million sperm depending on the volume and the length of time stored before ejaculating. Yet, the quantity of sperm produced will only cover the head of a pin. Samples used for medical study are obtained by requiring the donor to masturbate, or if a sample cannot managed without intercourse, then non-reactive condoms can be used.

Normal Semen
The Look: Semen is usually a cloudy white fluid that within 30 minutes becomes runny and clear.

The Smell: Chlorine type smell in semen is normal.

The Taste: Slightly sweet due to fructose. The taste of semen tends to change slightly from person to person.

What is Considered Abnormal Semen?
Low Volume of Ejaculate

A decrease in semen, or an absence of semen from the seminal vesicle, can sometimes be due to a blockage.

Watery Semen

Watery semen is usually a sign of retrograde ejaculationin which the ejaculate goes backwards into the bladder. This is not dangerous, but abnormal liquefaction of semen may also be caused by prostate abnormalities, such as prostatitis.

Thick or Lumpy Semen

The viscosity of semen can vary for a number of different reasons. Consistently thick semen does restrict the ability of the sperm to move about, so this can be important if you and your partner are trying for a baby. Volume may also be low due to low hydration, fluids used up during sex may result in a small amount of ejaculate, or if you repeat the sex act and/or ejaculate in a short period of time this will also effect the amount produced. Volume and sperm production can decline with age, but potency is not necessarily affected. If you are concerned do consult your doctor especially in the case of:

Red or Brown Colored Semen

If your semen is stained with a red or brown colored fluid it may be caused by blood. Sometimes a small blood vessel may burst when you ejaculate. Within a day or two the semen should return to its normal state, so there should be no need to worry. If it continues then you should see your doctor. Blood in semen may be present for many different reasons, such as infection, trauma and sometimes, but rarely, cancer.

Yellowish or Green Colored Semen

Normal semen may have an off-white or yellow hint to the color. Where semen is uncharacteristically yellow or greenish in color it is a sign of infection, often due to a sexually transmitted disease called gonorrhea. Go to your local STD clinic. If it is gohorrhea, treatment is simple with the use of antibiotics.

Foul Smelling Semen

Foul smelling semen is nearly always a sign of infection. Go and see your doctor.

Source: About.com

Who Says Penis Size Is Not Important? by Simon Chan

2008-08-08T02:52:00.000-07:00

Most men have been there at one time or another. That moment when total sexual exhilaration turns to pure panic and fear...fear that the "little astronaut" out on his moon walk has lost his space suit. Fear that the knight is no longer wearing his shining armor.

The number one reason that condoms break or slip off during the horizontal mambo is that the Johnson in question was not properly suited. Like shoes or bras, careful consideration must be given to condom size.

Yes, all men are created equal — but in very different shapes and sizes when it comes to the trouser department.

And while it may not be the size of the wave that floats your boat, when it comes to choosing a condom, your size does matter.

RESEARCHERS AGREE

A recent survey by Durex Condoms revealed that the length of an erect penis can range from four to nine inches, while penis widths can vary from just over one inch to more than two inches.

The Durex study also found that 50% of the almost 3,000 survey respondents felt that the condoms they regularly used did not fit properly; 25% said the condoms were "too tight," 10% said they were "much too tight," and 15% responded that the condoms were "too loose" or "much too loose."

Not surprisingly, 42% of those surveyed indicated that condoms should be "better shaped."

A whopping 44% of those surveyed reported they had experienced condom slippage or breakage problems in the past.

The Durex study concluded, "Given the wide range of penis sizes and the relatively narrow range of condoms designed to fit them, it is perhaps unsurprising to find that 50% of respondents felt that the condoms they use did not fit them properly”.

The answers provided also indicate that condoms which don't fit properly are more likely to break during use..."

Another study performed by La Trobe University in Australia examined the effect of penis dimension on the probability of complete condom slippage and/or condom breakage in actual use.

A total over the course of the study, 16% of the men experienced at least one instance of breakage and 19% experienced complete slippage.

The study concluded that condom breakage was strongly associated with penis circumference, particularly for men with above-average girth.

In fact, each additional centimeter of penis circumference beyond the average 13.19 cm increased the risk of breakage by 50-100%.

Like the Durex study, the researchers concluded, "This finding suggests a need to increase either the range of condom sizes currently available or the [girth] of currently available condoms.” of 3,658 condoms were used by 184 men.

ERECTION REJECTION

It is no secret that many men dislike wearing condoms. Some Men say that condoms interfere with sex, "get in way," or "kill the mood."

Most of the time however, these problems arise because the man has difficulty putting on the condom, or is concerned that the darn thing may slip off.

If a condom is difficult to put on due to size issues, the little soldier may suddenly be unable to stand at attention.

A survey conducted by the University of Sydney, Australia found that two-thirds of the men surveyed reported they "sometimes" or "often" lost their erection while trying to put on a condom.

Of course without an erection, a condom is impossible to put on at all.

While many men struggle to put on ill-fitting condoms that are too small, many others experience anxiety that the condom may slip off their slimmer girth.

This anxiety can also interfere with the ability to keep the flag at full mast. Condoms that are too loose increase the odds of slippage or leakage.

Paradoxically, one of the most common reasons condoms slip off is because they are too tight or too long — if not fully rolled down, the ring at the base can enter the man's partner and be dragged off.

Condoms that are too short also increase the risk of exposure to STDs.

When condoms are too tight, breakage and slippage is more likely to occur, and sensitivity can be significantly diminished.

The reality is that condom size is very important. Unfortunately, unlike penises, most condoms around the world today are made in a very narrow range of sizes.

In fact, the overwhelming majority of condoms does not refer to size at all, and simply are marketed as a "one size fits all" product.

While a few companies like Trojan have shown some sensitivity to the size issue by producing some larger sized models, very few such products exist, and even fewer are available for those needing a snugger fit.

Millions of men continue to struggle with the "one size fits all" mentality that the condom manufacturers apply to condom size, often leading to very unfortunate results.

Given the inherent difficulties in measuring customers to ensure a more tailored condom fit, condom producers simply continue to force round pegs into square holes.

That’s why to fit a condom effectively and snugly, you have to up your size.

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Premature Ejaculation a Warm Up to Great Sex by Terrance Lile

2008-08-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

So what if some guys have trouble holding their load? There are millions of men each day that suffer from rapid or Premature Ejaculation (PE), and if your one of them its time to quit your crying and do something about it. The first step to a resolution is to admit you have a problem.

After a wonderful evening with the woman of your dreams, it’s time to head back to your place. Afraid to “blow” your chances with this beauty, you grab a bottle of wine in an attempt to distract her. Maybe she won’t notice your little issue and hopefully she will give you a chance for a second date. Oh no! Your plan didn’t work; she’s ready for action. Before removing her panties, you have already climaxed and are too embarrassed to move. In a panic, you pretend you don’t want to go any further, hoping she didn’t notice. There’s no need to be humiliated, tell her your situation and let her know that she’s not being rejected.

If you are sexually attracted to another, sexual arousal is natural and not something to be ashamed of. Inform your partner that you are prone to PE. Talk it over, just because you shot one load does not mean there is not another one waiting to take its place. Let your mate know that the thought of her gets you very aroused so you need to slow down and enjoy foreplay. It is a rare woman that wouldn’t like the oven preheated and wants that extra foreplay. With a bit of extra stimulation it doesn’t take long for most men to once again become aroused. Talking openly can bring you both, mentally and physically closer to each other. If this is someone you care about and want to have a relationship with, then they should understand your needs and work with you for after all you are a team.

There are a few ways to help build stamina and learn ejaculatory control. It is said that a lot of men ejaculate prematurely due to their youth. Your masturbation during youth may have had to be quick in an attempt to avoid being caught by parents, siblings and the family dog. Since masturbation was rushed, it is quite possible that one would be conditioned to getting it off fast and has remained that way. Now is the time to break that habit and develop some new ones. First though it is helpful to understand the phases of sexual response as you get on the road to recovery.

Masters and Johnson found that the physiological reaction to male and female sexual stimulus could best be described by dividing the cycles of sexual response into four separate phases – Excitement, Plateau, Orgasmic and Resolution. The male will almost always pass through all four of these phases. The Excitement Phase develops from any source of physical or mental stimulation and at this time the erection will begin and breathing start to become heavier. In the Plateau Phase the arousal is continued and the erection hard and firm as you feel highly aroused. For the male, the Orgasmic Phase is experienced at the time of ejaculation. During the Resolution Phase breathing returns to normal and the erection subsides.

Your goal is to delay the Orgasmic Phase (ejaculation) and that can be done with a bit of practice. When masturbating, try to pace yourself. Every time you feel like you’re about to climax, stop and wait 30 seconds. It will be extremely annoying at first, but try to do this for as long as you can. Whenever you masturbate, try and outlast your previous time. Keep track of how often you’re able to stop yourself. This can work with a mate as well.

You and your partner can practice different techniques to help condition you. Oral sex can be a good way to kick off the night. Since oral is not as intense as penetration, one can easily lie back and enjoy the show. This act will allow you to focus on holding back instead of thrusting. If the urge to ejaculate arrives make your mate aware. This should tell your mate to stop. If you feel the need to release, do so, but try not to force the orgasm. If you avoid a heavy orgasm your penis won’t become as soft and sensitive. In doing so, you should be able to keep going. This is when you take the time to pleasure your mate while keeping yourself aroused and ready to go. Foreplay is very important in a relationship and this is a great way to get the party started. When your mate’s oven is finished preheating, try having intercourse.

During intercourse, try and pace yourself. Lay back and have your mate ride you for a bit. If you have the urge to climax, signal your mate to be still. This is a great way to tease each other while extending your fun. Often, a girl will get extremely wet just sitting on your penis anticipating the thrust. When she least expects it, open fire with an abundance of thrusts. This technique may cause you to climax, but it’s guaranteed to put a permanent smile on her face.

Just remember you are not alone. Premature ejaculation is the most common sexual complaint among men. Through practice, slowing down and learning how to control your ejaculation your orgasms will become greater as will your mates and she will hardly be able to wait for that next lovemaking session.

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Penis Enlargement by Dr. Michael Rodriguez

2008-08-05T05:41:00.000-07:00

It’s not uncommon for men to desire a larger penile erection, and such a desire is natural and nothing to be ashamed of. Unfortunately, many men are not able to achieve a large, hardened erection, no matter how aroused they become. The reasons for this are sometimes medical, but it has been found that in the majority of cases, the cause could simply be age, stress, and even poor circulation.

Typically, an erection is caused by the increase of blood flowing in the part of the penis called the Corpora Cavernosa, otherwise known as the erectile tissues. When the penis is stimulated, penile arteries are expanded to allow for greater blood flow traveling into the penis, whereas the blood flow leaving the penis is reduced by the contraction of penile veins. This results in a healthy penile erection. The more blood that the erectile tissues hold, the harder the erection becomes.

As we age, it is common for us to notice a drastic change in our penis size and erection quality. While this used to be highly embarrassing and many men kept this fact hidden, the world is a changing place and today, the understanding of how the penis works is much more comprehensive than in years past. Both prescription drugs and herbal supplements have been introduced to the market, assisting men in achieving both stamina and penis enlargement.

While some men choose to try prescription medications first, they are learning that these medicines are not all that they are toted to be and do not always result in the penis enlargement that one had hoped for. In fact, the side effects caused by these medications can be quite unnerving! More and more men are turning to herbal remedies because they are natural, they work better, and they do not have the side effects that have been associated with their prescription, synthetic counterparts.

MXMAN is the most popular of these supplements. Other popular supplements include Vig-Rx and Virility Pills, to name just a few. There are websites on the Internet that will allow you to compare the differences between the herbal supplements and what you can expect them to do for you. All are natural substances with some, like MXMAN, utilizing ancient herbs known throughout the ages to assist in penis enlargement. These supplements have been proven to increase sexual stamina, plus heighten desire, as well as show a marked growth in sperm count.

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Dr. Michael Rodriguez is an innovator who has spent the past decade researching male sexual health.

Better Sex For Couples by Whitney Moore

2008-08-04T10:59:00.000-07:00

Effective Ways To Better Sex For Couples

There are proven methods to improve sexual performance and pleasure among couples. However, various couples struggle with different challenges. One couple may be dealing with erectile dysfunction in the male partner, another with lack of sex drive in the female or male partner. Some couples have too much stress in their lives that’s not managed properly and this negatively affects their sexual experience and intimacy. For others a lack of creativity is the major cause of disinterest and boredom and has lead to poor sexual performance and desire. The mistake that happens often is when couples use an inappropriate method for treating the problem. You see, all of the conditions listed above are encountered by many couples and each problem requires a unique solution. Additional problems and frustrations occur when a couple uses the wrong method to treat their specific problem, for instance using a drug or other method as the "cure all" for what is lacking in their sexual experience. An example would be someone using a medication or other herbal substance that is intended to treat erectile dysfunction, but that person thinks that the substance will increase sexual desire, which is not the case because that is not how the substance was designed to work.

Erectile Dysfunction

This is also referred to as "impotence" in men. It is the condition in which the male partner has a sex drive (very important), can get an erection (or at least start the process), but is unable to maintain an erection for the intended duration of sex or until an orgasm is reached. This condition is appropriately treated with medications. And you can treat it with natural substances also. The medications used to treat erectile dysfunction belong to a class of drugs called phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Included in this class are the drugs Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra. They are effective in treating impotence because they cause more complete filling of the penis with blood and allows the penis to remain engorged for a longer period of time, usually long enough to reach climax and sometimes even beyond that. Viagra has proven effective in enhancing sexual pleasure in women in a similar way by increasing blood circulation to the vaginal area. Levitra has been proven to help treat erectile dysfunction in men that also suffer one or more other illnesses that compound the problem. Among them are diabetes, high blood pressure, and hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol levels in the blood). There are also natural herbal products that help treat erectile dysfunction without the side effects that may be encountered with these medications.

It is important to consult your primary doctor in determining whether any of the medications are the best option for you, especially if you have a history of heart disease or low blood pressure.

Lack of Sex Drive

This is when there is no desire to participate in sexual activities. There are different causes for this condition. Stress can be a factor. Many medications have decreased sex drive as a side effect. Depression is a cause, especially when it leads to physical inactivity. Even our diets can contribute, directly and indirectly, to lack of sex drive and performance in men and women. It is important to distinguish lack of sex drive from erectile dysfunction, here's why. Let’s say a man has no or low sex drive and becomes frustrated because he is unable to become aroused sexually for his partner, yet he believes that Viagra (a treatment for erectile dysfunction) will help solve the problem. He will more than likely become more frustrated because that is not how Viagra works. It was not formulated to stimulate or increase sex drive. With Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra there needs to be sexual arousal which releases certain enzymes or chemicals into the bloodstream that allow the meds to be effective. Without arousal this does not occur. There are some natural ways to increase testosterone levels that have been proven to dramatically increase sex drive. There are even foods that help with this. Exercise is a great way to enhance testosterone levels and sex drive in a safe way, but some forms of exercise are more effective than others.

Stress Anxiety Depression

I put these together because they can be closely related if we don't manage them properly. Unmanaged stress and anxiety often lead to depression. High stress, anxiety, and depression are major inhibitors of good sexual and general health. It is true that great sex has to do with the right mental stimulation and attitude and nothing negatively impacts the right mind set more than high stress, anxiety, or depression. We manage these conditions by incorporating things that make our lives more balanced. Some ways include; diet and exercise, involving ourselves in more spiritual pursuits, committing more time for the family, or it could be just getting rid of things that make you stressed, anxious, or depressed. Usually effective management involves some of everything. The important thing is that you take action to get them under control. They can be managed effectively by most of us.

Lack of Creativity and Romance

Some couples kill their sex lives when they stop being creative. Even sex, as pleasurable as it is, can become old and even boring if we stop being creative. You see, creativity starts the mental process that sets the stage for great sex. Creativity gets our minds involved in the act. Let's face it, anyone can do it or go through the motions, but to really have great sex involves a bit more from the mind and body together. Remember when you first met your partner and how you felt. The excitement you felt during that time was a motivating force that helped you think up ways to show them how much you cared. And your efforts payed off in a good way, didn’t they? I will let you know that by involving the mind in thinking of creative ways to communicate your affection towards your partner can engender the same excitement you felt when you first met. It will make a difference in improving your chances for great sex every time.

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About The Author

Whitney Moore is a recently retired registered nurse who now devotes time to the research and dissemination of information covering many general and health related topics.

Erectile Dysfunction or Impotence - What Is It About? by Steven Harold

2008-08-01T05:08:00.000-07:00

Impotence can also be called Erectile Dysfunction. It refers to the inability of a man to maintain an erection during sex. It can include a reduced sense of sexual excitement, which in turn leads to a loss of an erection.

Getting An Erection and Love-Making

A man must be sufficiently aroused by one or more means to enjoy a firm erection. The arousal can be psychological or physical or even both together.

Generally the method of stimulation required to achieve arousal can be what a man views or feels. Also the utilisation of sensual or erotic language can have the desired effect too. On the other hand it can be his imagination producing thoughts and images that are of a sexual nature. Many men enjoy a combination of the both fantasy and reality.

Erections That Are Involuntary

It is well known that men get a type of erection that can be referred to as an involuntary erection. In other words an erection that he has not deliberately set out to have. A man may often notice he has an erection in bed in the morning and just before emptying his bladder. During the night the bladder has been filling with urine and this has in turn pressed on the prostate gland. Stimulating the prostate gland brings sexual arousal and this results in an erection.

There will be other times when a man gets an erection that is involuntary. For instance, a man can be sexually aroused when in the company of a person who he finds attractive sometimes. He will not necessarily want to have an erection but because he is sexually stimulated there is a good possibility that he will experience an erection anyway.

How Does the Body Achieve An Erection?

Inside the un-erect penis there are three empty chambers. These chambers fill with blood and the penis becomes stiff and erect. The penis grows longer and gets wider too.

When sexual stimulation (physical or imagined) or involuntary stimulation is present, the brain sends a message to increase the blood pressure in the body and to send blood to enlarge the penis. The three chambers in the penis fill with blood and the penis becomes hard and erect.

For the duration of sexual arousal, the penis will stay enlarged and blood is stopped from escaping from the penis by muscles at the base.

Interestingly the nervous systems of the body play an important part in all of this. The parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system are the two in question. Usually only one of these systems dominates at any one time. However to achieve an erection the two systems work together.

This information can provide a better idea of how impotence or erectile dysfunction arises. If a man experiences anxiety during sex it can alter the balance between the parasympathetic and the sympathetic nervous system and lead to the loss of an erection.

In summary, impotence or erectile dysfunction is the lack of a lasting erection through to ejaculation. An erection is most often lost just before or during penetration and sometimes in the act of putting a condom on.

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Steven Harold is the owner of http://www.HypnoSources.com, for the most powerful hypnosis and subliminal cds around.

How to Cure High Blood Pressure- 7 Blood Pressure Secrets Doctors Won’t Tell You by Joe Barton

2008-07-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

Do you know how to cure high blood pressure with no medication? Most people would probably say to eat healthy (lower your salt-intake) and make sure you exercise. Unfortunately, most doctors tell you this and forget to tell you the other treatments you can be doing to lower your score and eventually be med-free.

The truth is that doctors are educated in medical schools were natural health and simple 'common sense' secrets are not taught. Unfortunately, medicine and antibiotics are only being taught because our medical industry is completely reliant upon pharmaceutical companies.

But new research is now showing the sometimes medicines are not the only treatment. In fact, some natural treatments are just as effective as their medicine counterpart.

Which is making some think, "Is there something doctors are NOT telling us?"

Naturally Treat High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure Medications (Diuretics, Beta Blockers, Alpha Blockers, and Vasodilators) work because they lower your blood pressure. The problem is that they make it look that you are healthy but are your numbers showing the truth?

High Blood Pressure medications work because they synthetically alleviate the pressure of the arteries and blood. For instance, with diuretics the blood will become less salty (less thick) and your pressure with drop. Another example would be beta blockers which synthetically cause the heart to beat slower.

Though these medications look good on paper, they are NOT treating the disease known as the 'silent killer'. In fact, they could be prolonging your life but they will never fully treat the disease. And statistics show that users will eventually die from the high blood pressure.

But what if you could naturally treat high blood pressure.

7 Hypertension Tips Your Doctor Won't Share with You

So you want to know, 'how to cure high blood pressure'? First, you need to know how to prevent high blood pressure holistically. Because curing high blood pressure starts with a holistic treatment. Holistically treating hypertension simply means using the 'whole' body to cure the problem. This is completely different than taking a pill to synthetically thin out the blood.

1. Three Miracle Minerals- If you are suffering from high blood pressure, you should be supplementing your diet with 3 miracle minerals that lower high blood pressure. Magnesium, Calcium and Potassium have been shown to help lower blood pressure.

2. Garlic- Garlic has been shown to benefit the heart, lower cholesterol and lower high blood pressure naturally. The compound in garlic, allicin, is thought to naturally lower high blood pressure. Find a quality supplement today.

3. Folic Acid- Vitamin B which is found in green leafy vegetables reduces homocysteine levels in the blood. This vitamin will lower the risk of heart disease and alleviate the pressure naturally.

4. Apple Cider Vinegar- Many or my customers have found success with apple cider vinegar which contains vitamins C, A, E, B1, B2 and B6, in addition to potassium, magnesium, and copper.

5. Relieve Stress- Do you know there are numerous ways to relieve stress? Breathing exercises, exercising, or reading a book are simple ways to relieve stress and lower high blood pressure. And there are even more than this!

6. Your Diet! You know the major Do's and Don'ts about high blood pressure dieting. Just remember to be eating your water-soluble fibers (fruits and vegetables). Fibers, especially water-soluble, will flush your system and plaque. Also, switch to whole grains! With less plaque in the arteries you will eventually be hypertension-free! Our HBP report goes into great detail about how you can treat hypertension with your diet.

7. Green Tea! It is loaded with antioxidants and research shows it lowers high blood pressure. Whether it is the 'relaxing' factor or the natural herbs in green tea, 1 cup of green tea will be helpful for your health!

Normalize your High Blood Pressure in 3 Weeks or Less

What foods should you be eating? What other vitamins are a must? What exercises are an absolute do? What herbs are making doctors scratch their heads? Why is chocolate now good for you?

Are you interested in lowering blood pressure naturally, with out drugs? We offer a 100% guaranteed, medical doctor-approved HBP Remedy Report which shares numerous natural health tips and guarantees to normalize your pressure in 3 weeks or less. If you are serious about living young again, please visit our How to Cure High Blood Pressure Website.

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Guaranteed to work in 3 weeks or less! Joe Barton and Barton Publishing Inc. have been publishing Hypertension Remedy Reports that teach you how to cure high blood pressure naturally. Are you next?

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Erection Problems And Your Health by Kaz Williams

2008-07-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Virtually every man will experience some sort of erection failure at some point in their lives. As embarrassing as this can be many of these will be minor, one off incidents that can be traced to too much alcohol consumption (brewer's droop) or even simply not being in the mood for love making.

As men get older, so the chances of them suffering from erection problems increases. By the time they reach the age of 70 between 60 to 70% of men will be having difficulties achieving or maintaining an erection.

Just a few years ago it was assumed that most cases of impotence in younger men had a psychological cause. This view has now changed. Whatever your age, the majority of impotence problems are now known to be caused by underlying medical conditions. Your penis is a good indicator of your general health and for this reason difficulties with erections shouldn't be ignored or dismissed as a sign of aging.

As a good blood supply to the penis is essential for an erection it's no surprise that medical conditions like atherosclerosis (clogged arteries) are often behind poor penile performance. For this reason men with erectile difficulties are at much higher risk from having a heart attack or a stroke.

Probably the easiest way to develop erection difficulties is to smoke. This is because smoking is such a good way to damage your arteries which then cause erections to fail. Diseases that cause nerve damage can also cause impotence.

Medical conditions that are known to sometimes cause erectile dysfunction include -

Diabetes

High blood pressure (hypertension)

Thyroid disease

Renal failure

Severe liver disease

Often erection failures are one of the first indications that something is going wrong. Unfortunately men are notoriously bad at seeking medical help. They are even more unlikely to go to their doctor when the subject is one of poor sexual performance. In the UK studies have suggested that only a mere 10% of men will visit their doctor if they are having problems with their erections. Only after more serious symptoms have started to appear is medical help sought. By this time long term damage may have occurred.

If your erection problems have appeared very suddenly then they may be of psychological origin. However, if the problem has appeared over a period of time then the cause is most likely medical. If you then reach for the little blue pills without knowing what's really the matter you could make the situation a lot worse.

Don't let embarrassment about seeing your doctor put your long term health or even your life at risk. You will be asked intimate questions about your sex life and performance but doctors have heard it all before and to them erectile dysfunction is simply a symptom not a reflection on your manhood.

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Your penis is no doubt important to you therefore you should look after it properly. If you want to find out more about penile health issues please visit my website http://www.problempenis.com

Understanding Premature Ejaculation by Larry

2008-07-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

Premature Ejaculation or PE for short is a huge contributor to problems like sexual dysfunction in men. There are several men who have had an incident of premature ejaculation at some point of time in their life while as many as 30 percent of all men face the problem regularly. The man with this problem has an ejaculation within a short while of having sex and loses his erection thereby leaving the partner dissatisfied. Not only this, the problem has a negative impact on the psychological wellbeing of the person and is detrimental to the confidence levels of the person in matters of sex.

We now should understand that almost every person has an incidence of premature ejaculation at some point of their life. This is because ejaculation control, like many other functions like urination is not an inborn feature but needs to be learnt. When premature ejaculation becomes a consistent problem, it needs to be corrected by proper therapy and counseling that will enable the person to learn control of the ejaculation. This will help in re-establishing a confidence level in the person and the ability to perform well at sex and to make the experience more enjoyable for both the partners.

You need to know that premature ejaculation can be inherited if either your father or your grandfather was suffering from the problems. There is sufficient study to substantiate this finding with more than a whopping 90 percent of men have this problem because they have inherited it. Another big troublemaker is the psyche of the individual. Psychological problems like depression, stress, high expectations, getting affected by some incidents of erectile dysfunction can be forerunner to premature ejaculation in the individual.

Premature ejaculation is seen when the person has a weak pelvic muscle group that is called pubococcygeus muscles (PC muscles). The weak PC muscles cause a faster nerve response and cause an ejaculation while having sex. These can be strengthened by performing some special exercises called Kegelâ€™s exercise to help gain control over the ejaculation while having sex. By performing these exercises, the person will be able to train these muscles to gain some voluntary control over ejaculation that will help in performing for a longer time before ejaculation occurs. But, that does not mean that the person cannot reach orgasm. Yes, by performing these exercises you can attain many orgasms before ejaculating.

So, if you are suffering from consistent premature ejaculation you can benefit by following these simple set of exercises and soon enough you will be able to not only have good control over your ejaculation, you can even enjoy multiple orgasms like your partner can. You can find more information regarding Kegelâ€™s exercises by reading through information that is available on many websites as well as in Penis Health database. By ardently following the exercise regimen, you will soon be rid of this condition and you will begin to enjoy sex like never before. You will also enjoy a boost in your confidence levels that you will never have known before.

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Read more about Premature Ejaculation from sizegenetics website here.

7 Benefits of Quitting Smoking If You Stop Today by Joe White

2008-07-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need a great list of benefits to give you that final push to help you quit. Get the benefits you need today in this article.

Stopping smoking is for many people the most difficult thing that they will ever do. But a list of benefits can help to strengthen the willpower. Here are 7 of them.

Lung Debris

Your lungs will start to clear debris within 24 hours of quitting. Not just that but over the next few weeks, even more gunk will leave your lungs. It's just like when you have a chest infection - getting rid of the gunk gives you great satisfaction that you are getting better and more healthy.

Risk Of Heart Attack

After only ten years (even if you've been smoking for 30), your risk of a heart attack is the same as someone who never smoked.

More Money

You'll have way more money than you used to. It's not just the cost of cigarettes that you'll gain back but also the opportunity to invest it elsewhere such as the stock market. That kind of money could easily turn into a few hundred thousand dollars within 10 to 20 years!

Your Looks

Your body will start to recover immediately and gradually your skin will become rejuvenated. No longer will you have the pale and dour looking skin that you used to have as a smoker. Your hair will regain it's sheen. Believe me, non-smokers can easily spot a smoker just by looking at them and most don't find it attractive!

Your Smile

When you quit smoking, your teeth will stop getting stained by the cigarette smoke. Just look at the walls of your house behind the pictures. That same smoke also goes by your teeth. Also, non-smokers are less likely to get gum disease and tooth decay so you'll still have most of your teeth when you hit retirement age!

Your Fertility And Sex Life

For men, smoking gives a higher risk of erectile dysfunction. Do you really want to be so reliant on pills? For women, fertility will go back to normal levels.

Sense Of Taste And Smell

within 24 hours your sense of taste and smell will return. Believe it or not, your senses have been dulled due to smoking and you have not been enjoying such wondrous things as most normal people do. But the great thing is that you won't have to wait long to return to normality.

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About the Author

Get more reasons to quit and smoking tips and advice from an ex-smoker at http://www.QuitSmokingAdvisory.com

Men With Depression - It's Different For Men by Frans Nieuwenhuis

2008-07-15T06:02:00.000-07:00

Men are not like women. Yes, I know that this is stunning news.
Alert the media! It's true though; men are different from women
in more ways than one would normally think. Due to their
differences they are more vulnerable to some serious side
effects of depression. 'Vulnerable' isn't a word that's often
associated with males and that's part of the problem.

Men, as a rule, do not talk about their feelings. They don't
like to be thought of as vulnerable, weak, in need of help, or
fragile. A man is much less likely to confide in a friend, a
co-worker, spouse or medical professional that they are feeling
depressed. Depression affects men as well as women, yet the
medical profession sees much fewer men than women because men do
not seek help for this condition as much as their female
counterparts do.

Men feel the need to be powerful, in control, competitive and
often neglect their mental health in the process of being
'manly'. Men have traditionally had the role of being tough and
self-reliant, and sometimes the women in their lives hold that
same view of the male role. A man wanting to talk about his
feelings of vulnerability and fragility can be taken as a sign
of weakness to some women and this can result in the loss of a
relationship.

Because men are not inclined to believe they need help and think
that it's a sign of virility that they can handle whatever life
throws their way--they are not often aware of the symptoms of
depression. Instead of seeking help, men may try to compensate
for their feelings of depression by increasing alcohol
consumption or using drugs to mask their pain. This can result
in risky behavior. Some will spend more time at work and less
time at home, leading to problems in relationships. If you're
suffering from depression you may be underperforming at work,
feel less likely to talk than usual, you feel irritable, feel
achy and you are worrying more and more about things in your
life.

Physical problems, such as erectile dysfunction can result in
depression in men. Occasionally depression can cause sexual
problems, but the good news is that there are many treatments
available to help with both.

Men should know that depression can affect them as well as women
and need to know the signs:

*Feelings of hopelessness
*Loss of appetite
*Anxiety
*Loss of sex drive
*Trouble concentrating
*Loss of energy
*No desire to maintain personal hygiene
*Losing interest in people or activities

If you're experiencing any of these symptoms it's ok to talk to
your doctor. You're not superman. Asking for help doesn't make
you weak.

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About the author:
Frans Nieuwenhuis is the author of this article. For more
information and articles such as depression in teens please visit
http://www.treatmentsdepression.com

Experts: Eight Phenomenon Indicates men in recession by James Yaqins

2008-07-14T12:02:00.000-07:00

The following eight phenomenon indicates that body began gradually decline.

Phenomenon 1: eyesight weakened

Exclude their own eyes, which appeared that vascular disease. It affected the blood circulation, metabolism disorders arising from the optic nerve, causing vision loss.

Phenomena 2: alopecia

Into the cause of the peak of mental and psychological pressure increases, cause endocrine disorders and blood circulation, thus leading to hair loss, hair gradually sparse.

Phenomena 3: hearing loss

Erting nerve in poor blood circulation, there will be hearing a downward trend.

Phenomenon 4: reduction of impulse

30-year-old man from the reasons for the decline capacity psychological, physiological, both in terms of psychological Shenmeipilao, mental stress is too large, the physical decline in androgen levels, poor blood circulation, will bring about erectile dysfunction.

Phenomena 5: the weak capacity of movement

Rapid heartbeat after exercise phenomenon lasted for a long time, heart-conditioning capacity of increasingly low, indicating the heart's own reserve capacity has been reduced. This is the heart muscle aging, weakening the flexibility, with adverse health conditions related to blood vessels.

Phenomenon 6: exercise capacity decline

On the stairs, easily tired after running on lung function started to decline. Research shows that if no scientific training, in lung function after 20-year-old began to weaken.

Phenomenon 7: dirty teeth

After the 30-year-old male easy to change dirty teeth, and do not pay attention to oral health. Brushing should be changed sooner or later Meidun Fan correct posture after brushing.

Phenomenon 8: fatigue

30-year-old men in work or life if the poor are always on, lethargy, may be large or psychological pressure caused by the endocrine changes. This shows that androgen levels have dropped.

About the Author

Article from Health and Fitness Product Reviews and Reports,See More articles about health and fitness,Please visit: http://www.productremember.com and http://myvisioncare.blogspot.com

Erectile Dysfunction by Robert Bruce Baird

2008-07-11T03:17:00.000-07:00

There is another place in the Caribbean that I have spent a lot of time in. Today it is called Belize and it was a favorite hangout of the pirates. One of its special attractions is the chili plant that produces the hottest chili in the world. The same conditions in the soil also bring us root juices that would have been used by Tantra or other sexual ritual practitioners in places like Josephine’s Virgin (Yes like the Virgin Mary, who was no virgin.) Islands. I can easily imagine Ambergris Caye had a production center of this juice. I know this is one of the few places (Just two.) where the Merovingians have an ashram. These are the Essenes and the local legends there tell us Jesus (Yeshua) came to the Mayan lands and I think his last words reported in the Bible make more sense translated through Mayan.

We are inundated with nonsense about Erectile Dysfunction today. Some authors negate the importance of psychology and few address the creative aspects of Tantra. Of course, you can be sure; I think the Merovingian drug or pharmaceutical complex is involved in keeping secrets. This is a link that mentions Ambergris Caye which is near San Pedro and the Essene location - http://www.ambergriscaye.com/pages/medicine4.html and ambergris brought back by whalers may be connected. They love to make stories up that keep the secret and build mystery.

“REJUVENATION HERBS FOR OLDER PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM HEART PROBLEMS, BLOOD FLOW AND ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION. ANCIENT MAYA ROOTS - USED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

The root juice sold in Belize is concocted from Coclemeca and Gangweo in combination. The supply is limited and seems to be left over plants around Mayan ceremonial centers from long ago. Since the plants require 35 years to grow, the source is estimated sufficient only for about 500 people.”

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5 Tips To Lower Your Cholesterol by Tony Newton

2008-07-10T08:07:00.000-07:00

Cholesterol has been around for thousands of years.
It's a natural function of the human body. Unfortunately,
most people aren't even aware they have high cholesterol
until they have a heart attack or stroke. It is possible
to have up to 80 percent closure of the arteries without
ever feeling a single symptom! Here are 5 tips you can use
straight away to start lowering your cholesterol today:

1. Reduce fat in your diet.

Buy the leanest cuts of meat you can find. Regularly
substitute poultry (without the skin) and fish for
red meat. Both are lower in saturated fat. Switch to
low fat cottage cheese and yogurt, reduced fat hard
cheeses and skim or 1 percent milk.

2. Eat no more than four egg yolks a week.

Many people don't have to worry about eating cholesterol.
Normal bodies adjust to increased intake by cutting back
on regular product. However, since one third of Americans
are cholesterol responders their blood cholesterol does
go up when they eat cholesterol. You probably don't know
if you fall into this category so play it safe. Eat no
more than four egg yolks a week. An average egg yolk
contains 213 milligrams of cholesterol!

3. Eliminate fried foods.

Buying low fat is just the beginning. You need to
institute low fat cooking methods to keep the cholesterol
from sneaking back in to your diet. Remove fatty skin from
chicken and turkey. Don't fry foods. Roast, bake, broil,
grill or poach them instead. Use fat free marinades or
basting with liquids like wine, tomato or lemon juice.
Use olive or canola oils for sautйing or baking. Both are
very low in saturated fat. Use diet, tub or squeeze
margarines instead of regular. Watch for the term
"hydrogenated," which means some of the fat is saturated.

4. Eat vegetables and complex carbohydrates.

Lowest fat foods of all are vegetables, fruits, grains
(rice, barley and pasta), beans and legumes. Try
substituting some of these for meat and high fat dairy
products. Don't douse your pasta with butter or your
potato with sour cream. Use tomato base sauces instead of
cream base. Use lemon juice, low sodium soy sauce or herbs
to season vegetables. Make chili with extra beans and
seasonings while leaving out the meat.

5. Lose weight.

If you are overweight, the chances are almost 100% that
you have a problem with high cholesterol. You can lower
your LDL and elevate your HDL just by dropping some pounds.
Eat fewer fatty foods and more fruits, vegetables, grains
and beans and it's a pretty good bet that you will slowly
but surely lose weight.

Remember there is no substitute for your physician.
Make certain that you clear any new treatments with him
before embarking on any radical health changes you are
anticipating.

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About the Author

Tony Newton publishes the popular health and wellness
website - http://www.1st-for-health.com
With lots of informative articles on low carb diets,
hair loss, arthritis pain relief, acne and lots more.

Penis Enlargement: What are a Man's Options? Can "Penis Pills" Really Enlarge and Lengthen? by Danna Schneider

2008-07-09T11:28:00.000-07:00

Penis enhancement, male enhancement, virility, impotence, endurance, libido, elongate, enlarge, lenthen, empower - these are all now the buzzwords of the male enhancement and "penis enlargement" industry. An industry that has become a multi-million dollar venture in a relatively short period of time. So why the sudden explosion of this once seemingly niche market for aging men who needed a little help? Why all the knockoffs of Viagra? And why all the hundreds of natural and herbal alternatives to Viagra, Cialis, and the like?

That answer can vary in it's complexity and speculation, but it all really boils down to a different way of life in the modern world, the breaking down of sexual taboos hence more talk of male virility and impotence, and the hustle and bustle of modern life literally draining the life and passion out of so many people that they are left looking for answers to dwindling sex drives, perceived inadequacies in penis size, and unsatisfactory sexual performance.

This is especially is true of men, who tend to hold sex very near and dear, and who are biologically programmed to have higher sex drives and socially programmed to desire more sex, more often, and have higher expectations of sexual fulfillment than women. Not to say that some women don't feel the same way, but for the sake of demonstration we will use this generalization.

This is exactly what accounts for the huge male enhancement and penis enhancement market today - both prescription and herbal. So what if you're a guy who doesn't really want to go to the doctor because you don't actually have a problem with erectile disfunction, but you know that you need to add that zing back to your sex life, and possibly some extra size or girth to your penis, or you want to last longer and have more powerful, fulfilling and stress-relieving orgasms?

Well, fortunately for you, you are part of an era known as the herbal explosion age. For almost every pharmaceutical drug, the herbal and nutraceutical industry has come up with some very promising and close imitations and alternatives to prescription medications, without all the man-made chemicals and possibilities of dangerous side effects.

That's not to say that you shouldn't be cautious when selecting a male enhancement or penile enlargement supplement. You still need to read the ingredients, and make sure they are not going to interfere with any existing medications. Also, if you begin noticing you just don't feel right, or there is any type of side effect or reaction to any ingredient, you should stop taking it immediately and request a refund. Most reputable companies will be happy to provide a refund if you are not happy with the results or the product just didn't agree with your chemistry.

So there you have it - you can still have a great sex life, improve your self image and sexual satisfaction, and do it discreetly, naturally and safely. We all need a little help now and then in the bedroom, and these penis enlargement and male enhancement products are looking to be just the right sexual remedy for more and more men (and women!).

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Men Are Worried That Their Penis Does Not Measure Up by Philip Lim

2008-07-08T12:13:00.000-07:00

Most men are very concerned with penis size, and how their penis measures up to other men's. Because of this, men have tried all sorts of ways to enlarge their penis. Some can be harmful and can cause discomfort to them, while many others are expensive or simply ineffective.

Studies have shown that most men are interested in penis enlargement. In fact these studies show that most men are not satisfied with their penis length or their sexual performance. They are also dissatisfied with the firmness of the erect penis, but are unwilling to talk with their doctor about what they perceive as a problem.

Many men are convinced that their penis is not large enough to satisfy their lover. This leads to an overall lack of confidence when making love, and this lack of confidence often leads to a softer erection, which feeds the problem by often leading to feelings of inadequacy. This can even lead to relationship
problems as these feelings take root and deepen.

Feeling that you are an unsatisfactory lover leads to a lack of desire to have sex, which the woman in your life may interpret as sexual rejection. This can lead to further misunderstanding regarding sex and the relationship, and often leads to serious problems between couples.

The adult entertainment industry is full of ads for products and programs for the enlargement of the penis. The products include pills, creams and sprays that claim they will cause penis growth. These claims range from the scientific to the outrageous. Below we talk about penis enlargement methods
that DO NOT WORK:

Over the last few years, advertisements have been popping up for creams that claim that they will enlarge the penis with regular use. Do they work? Medical evidence has demonstrated that no topical preparation can do more for you than to increase blood flow in the area, which may aid in other programs and may also assist in erection firmness, but these preparations can do nothing on their own to promote actual penis enlargement.

One of the most common products advertised for penis enlargement is the penis pump. It can be seen on sale on the internet, in adult bookstores and magazines. The pumps work by creating a vaccuum around the penis and bringing blood to the tissue. This can assist men with extremely poor circulation to have an erection. There is no actual medical evidence that penis pumps cause any actual increase in the size of the penis. Some men
may even find that if they use a penis pump over a period of time that they will be unable to get an erection without using the pump.

Men have used this method of penis enlargement for hundreds of years. Basically you hang weight from your penis in order to stretch it. Many ancient and tribal people practiced this method. Does it work? Over time, with regular use, you can achieve greater length using this method. The drawbacks include a thinner penis, and because of the stretched tissue, often
less ability to achieve and maintain an erection. This method can also cause decrease in blood circulation to the penis, which can lead to serious problems including tissue damage.

Surgery is a big step, and an expensive one. More importantly, it can lead to serious complications like infection. It can also lead to scar tissue formation which can cause a misshapen penis. A common form of penis enlargement surgery involves taking your body fat and injecting a small amount into the penis. This does not cause significant change in length, although it can make
a difference in girth.

Some men have the connective tissue at the top of their penis cut, which does not actually enlarge the penis, but does cause it to jut further out from the body. Of course, having less support, your penis will not stand up as far from your body as it did previous to the surgery. Penis surgery doesn't change your
ability to get an erection, or the firmness of that erection. This is caused by blood flow in the penis.

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Philip Lim, editor of Lasting Longer In Bed reveals the amazing
secrets to boost your confidence and make a positive impact on
your sex life.

Penis Girth - Is It Important? by Brian Green

2008-07-06T05:28:00.000-07:00

The age-old question, “Does size matter?” has been debated for eons. Both men and women alike are interested to know what really gives. Men are obsessed with the size of their penis and many have found ways to make their member larger. That’s why the penis enlargement industry is booming offering everything -- from cream, pills, patches, weights, traction devices, and even surgery. The media and the overly-hyped stories of ‘well-endowed’ men have undoubtedly contributed to the already convoluted subject of penis size.

Men with larger organs are regarded to be more manly and better in bed. Thus, “Bigger is better” has become a popular adage. Furthermore, this insight seems to emanate from male vanity rather than the pleasure that your penis can provide. A small penis is equated to diminished masculinity, virility, and at times, also associated to impotency.

But, in fact, most researches have revealed that the average penis size is not the 12” advertised by porn stars. Besides, these porn stars are not representative of the average man. They may very well be more well-endowed than you (this is their luck) or have undergone some enlargement procedure. The average penis size is actually between 5.5 to 6.4 inches in erect length and 4.7 to 5.2 inches in girth.

But countless women have agreed that the length of the penis has not much to do with sexual pleasure; but width may indeed matter in the long run. It has to do with stimulating their G-spot which is supposed to be located about two inches inside the upper wall of the vagina.

The nerves that are stimulated during sexual intercourse are located near the entrance of the vagina and the anus. Penis girth is significant here since a meatier penis can stretch out the vaginal or anal walls that stimulate the nerves. This creates friction and sensation that most women love during a sexual experience.

Anyway, preference is still based on the individual woman. Because of the points highlighted above, many women have a penchant for larger dicks. But remember, it’s not only a big penis women crave. They seek passion, intimacy and emotional connection. Remember to show her your love by giving her flowers, a sensual massage, or candles with rose petals. Assault her senses with romantic gestures and you’ll be well rewarded. If you have a girthy penis, you’ll be rewarded even more .

Experiment on different sexual positions and incorporate toys in your love-making. Identify her key erogenous zones (i.e., her clitoris) and come up with techniques to stimulate her -- with your tongue, vibrator, fingers, etc.

Penis size is important but it’s also the combination of skill, passion and romance. After all, sex is as much fun as you make it.

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Source: Penis Enlargement Products

Brian Green

Maintaining a Healthy Penis by Marc Stock

2008-07-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

Keeping your penis healthy gets you far greater erection strength and stamina, as well as general sexual satisfaction. Simply put, a healthy penis provides you with a healthy sex life!

As men grow older, the levels of male hormone, testosterone, gradually decline starting at the age of 30 and continue to do so at a staggering rate of 10 percent per decade.

Since testosterone is a hormone that helps maintain sex drive, sperm production, pubic and body hair, muscle, and bone, the consequences slowly show as a man ages.

Most men who will basically experience one or all of these in varying degrees:

Hair loss

Bone loss

Sweating and flushing

Irritability

Fatigue

Loss of physical agility

Increased fat

Aches and pains

Sleeping problems

Depression

Decreased sexual drive and performance

Therefore, maintaining a healthy and vigorous penis is maybe one of the more important things all guys should be mindful of. Do your penis a favor by considering the following suggestions:

Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. To ensure normal erectile function, you need to keep the continuous flow of blood to the penis by taking care of the arteries that supply it. Consume a high fiber diet, low in saturated fats and you can be sure to prevent or reduce the build up of fatty deposits that narrow and clog arteries. Stay away from animal fats, sugar, fried or junk foods.

Quit smoking. Smoking constricts blood vessels and leads to a build of plaque in the arteries that supply blood to the penis. This results in diminished erectile function, shrinkage of the penis, and impotence later in life.

Avoid liquor and dangerous drugs. Alcohol and narcotics puts you in great risk of impotence or erectile dysfunction.

Exercise. Exercising is good for your overall health. Try brisk walking, running, cycling, or swimming for at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week.

Take nutritional supplements. Certain vitamins and minerals are good for maintaining general penile health, such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Chromium, Zinc, and L-arginine. While certain herbs such as Ginkgo biloba, Ginseng, Damania, Sarsaparilla, Wild yam, Saw palmetto, Dong quai, Gotu kola, Hydrangea root, and Pygeum, are known to be particularly helpful for weak erections or impotence. Be sure to consult with your doctor first.

Stimulate your penis. Maintain healthy penis and prostate circulation by having regular erections and ejaculations. Natural penis exercises not only ensure good circulation but can also aid in penis enlargement, both in length and girth. This works best when coupled with the use of an enlargement device, penis enlargement pills, and semen volumizers. Such is the complete and break-through program offered by SizeGenetics.

Have a vigorous and healthy sex life for life. Start by making the necessary changes now.

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Marc Stock - Head Researcher of Penis Enlargement Pill Consumer Ratings

Type PDE-5 Inhibitors and NAION by Valerian D

2008-07-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

FDA has received 43 reports of varying degrees of vision loss, including blindness, in men taking type 5 phosphodiesterase (PDE-5) inhibitors. Most of these cases of vision loss were due to nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). The loss of vision in some cases has been irreversible.

As type 5 phosphodiesterase (PDE-5) inhibitors are the main active ingredients in Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a news release to advise healthcare providers of the potential risk.

NAION is a vascular event that is presumed to occur due to a decrease in blood flow to the small arteries that supply the optic nerve. A disruption in the blood supply to the optic nerve causes damage to the nerve. Injury to the nerve may result in permanent visual loss in 1 or both eyes. Patients are typically older than 50 years of age; clinical examination reveals unilateral visual acuity and visual field loss and optic disk edema. Despite the frequency with which this condition occurs, its exact cause is not known. Numerous risk factors have been proposed, including a small cup-to-disk ratio, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, arteriosclerosis, hypercholesterolemia, and after intraocular surgery.

As patients with erectile dysfunctions are more likely to have the microvascular risk factors typically associated with spontaneous NAION, an ischemic effect by type 5 phosphodiesterase (PDE-5) inhibitors,on the optic nerve is plausible, but unlikely. In normal adults, PDE-5 inhibitors increased pulsatile ocular blood flow, a result of filling the choroidal circulation.

Despite the differences in the number of cases of NAION among men taking the various PDE-5 inhibitors - 38 cases in men using Viagra, 4 in men using Cialis, and 1 case in a man using Levitra - there is no evidence that one drug presents a higher risk than another. Viagra has been used by more than 23 million men worldwide, Cialis by more than 4.5 million, and Levitra by more than 1.8 million. The difference in the number of NAION cases among all 3 PDE-5 inhibitors reflects the number of each drug used worldwide rather than real differences in risk among drugs.

It can be recommended that patients with a history of monocular NAION be cautioned that PDE-5 inhibitors may increase the risk of NAION in the fellow eye. At the same time, patients who have risk factors for the development of NAION should be referred to an ophthalmologist before being prescribed PDE-5 inhibitors.

Valerian D is a freelance writer specialized in health issues affecting men like NAION blindness causes.

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Are You Losing Sleep Over Male Infertility? Know by Elgin Smith

2008-07-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

Are You Losing Sleep Over Male Infertility? Know "These" May Help

Elgin Smith

Although there are various causes of male infertility that could be fcoming from health disorders. It is important to be confirmed by qualified doctors if the disorders are mainly causing male infertility. They usually conducts several tests in order to determine the causes behind. According to a study in 2000, the study revealed that there are many men are experiencing infertility. In fact, I have compiled some reasons for this:

More than 50% of men that have participated in undergoing vasectomy are seeking to reverse this procedure.

Some 14% of the study that men that has undergone some form of varicocele. They stated that as the main reason of the cause of male infertility.

Did you know that some men did not have any sperm within them. More than 5% of men took part in the study stated that is one of the cause of male infertility.

For those that can't cited a specific reason for their male infertility. This group belong to the 8% that took part in the research.

Besides the above reason, aging is another reason citing the cause of male infertility. According to a research done in early, the sperm quantity and quality does not drop until the age of 64. There is another study stating that some men under the age of 39 are already experiencing male infertility.

Beside age affecting the quantity and quality the sperm, there are also some biological genetic defects in sperm. This is another cause of male infertility. It is not surprisingly in older men. Other reasons such as the ones below affecting the sperm count.

Almost all types of major physical, mental or even emotional stress can result in low sperm count.

As what relates to emotional stress, it actually interferes with the GnRH hormone, causing in low sperm count.

There are almost 1% of the studies have experienced impotence and premature ejaculation problems resulting having problems in their relationship. This may be not be a genetic defects, but it does contribute to the causes of male infertility. Have a healthy sexual relationship will surely improves the chances of male fertility.

Be extra careful if you are in saunas, fever or in a hot tub. The male testes may get overheated. This can temporarily cause the sperm count to be low and causing male infertility.

Getting involved with marijuana, cocaine and smoking can cause a reduction in sperm count. It also affects the quality and quantity of it. So, be careful and never get hooked with drugs if you are hoping to have a baby.

I have to discuss that malnutrition or nutrient deficiencies as well as obesity can all leads to a low sperm count problem. This is in fact one of the causes of male infertility.

Due to the complexity of male infertility, some factors are known, some are unknown even to medical professionals and scientists. Since the causes are complex, researchers are conducting extensive tests to conclude what causes male infertility.

The approach to infertility should be made together with your partner who will provide the much required support and love. Once the cause of male infertility are detected, it can be overcome easily with lots of patience. A winning attitude can help you overcome anything that comes your way. I wishes you in good state of mind and good luck in your conception journey.

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Elgin is a co-author of this site, owned by EKWW Global Marketing. He created a site, (http://www.17mininfertilitysecrets.com/) tips to conceiving and found some (http://www.17mininfertilitysecrets.com/pregnancy_sys.php) get pregnant naturally techniques. Look at his expert review site now for more findings.

Free Penis Enlargement Exercises by Jean-Rene Losier

2008-07-02T11:51:00.000-07:00

Alright guys, I decided to let you in on a little preview of what Penis enlargement ( PE ) is all about. I'm going to give you the basic routine that most people do in their first month of PE. I'm pretty sure that you'll be positively surprised at the results and will want to continue or get into the more advanced routines.

Alright well first off, the most important thing to remember is that consistency is key. It's THE MOST important thing to successful PE. You have to be dedicated to the task at hand ( no pun intended ). I've done it both ways, being constant & NOT being constant. Let me tell you, I tell everyone now how much of a difference it makes. Truthfully, when I wasn't consistant, I was more prone to injury, & I lacked gains. But since I've restarted, I haven't missed a day of my preset "pe" days, and it shows.

Most people preach the 3 on 1 off 2 on 1 off. Wich means, you do PE for 3 days then take a day off, then you do 2 days on and another day off. But personally, I went with another type of routine. My routine is more like this: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday are my "on" days. Wednesday, and the weekend I don't do anything. It's been working great for me. You shouldn't workout everyday, since your penis needs to rebuild itself to get bigger. Not giving it enough time to rebuild itself is just like taking a step forward and two steps back. It'll hurt your results. So even though your in a hurry to make those gains, stick to the days your put as your "on" days and ONLY those days.

Alright, now for the first technique. It's called the PC flex. It's probably one of the more helpfull exercises in PE since it's the exercise that gives you those rock-hard erections. These exercises train, well, your PC muscle. What muscle is that? Well have you ever stopped been peeing and stopped so you could hear what your drunk friend was saying outside the door, or just stopped peing in the middle of the act? Well the PC was responsible for that. So do what you did to stop your flow, come on, do it now...You should feel a squeeze from under your package and in front of your anus. That's where the PC is, and you just basically did a PC flex! Now how easy was that?! So now, since your just starting, your PC needs to become stronger, and we do that one step at a time. Alright, here's what you do: Do these flexes for 5 min during your first week. You can do them whenever, wherever you like. I do them sitting at work in front of my computer. You don't need to have a hard-on to do these. After that first week, raise it to 10min; 3rd week, 20 min & 4th week, 30 min. From now on you don't need to add any more minutes. Always do 30min from now on. I used to do them for an hour, but I developped back pains, but now, no pain, all gain. Only do PC flexes on your on days, it also needs rest to become stronger. In no time, you'll have hard as hell erections, and you could learn to control your ejaculations. Wich is something for another article all-together. Doing ONLY this exercise could give you gains in your girth from the increased bloodflow. Not alot tough, since you need to do other exercises to stretch to allow more blood in and create more places for blood to go in.

The second exercise is the basis of all the lenght exercises, the Long Schlong. This is pretty easy to do. Just grab your penis under the head with an ok grip. An ok grip is just making an "O" with your thumb and index finger. So do that and stretch in front of you and hold it there for 15 secs. After that massage. Now repeat this for every direction: Up,Down,Left,Right,Straight out. Make sure you massage in between every rep. Do 4 sets in all directions. Don't pull too hard until you feel pain though, you should only pull until you feel a good stretch. We don't want you to go injuring your favorite member now do we? Oh and if your having a hard time getting a good grip on your soldier, I use toilet paper. If you can find something softer wich still gives you a good grip, then go for it. I've even heard of people using boxers. Even though I can't see how well that can work... You may start to get an erection since it's your first time. It can be annoying, but don't sweat it, it's happenned to EVERYONE. Just give it time and that'll go away.

Next up, the basis of all PE, the Jelq. This is mainly go girth, you'll be using this pretty much throughout your PE journey.
For this exercise you should use lubrication. Preferably water based. Baby oil is a popular choice. I myself use Stives moisturizer but might switch to baby oil after my supply runs out. You'll be using lubrication for most of your girth work, so you should get some before you start. And Baby oil doesn't look as bad as buying Vaseline wich is part of alot of jokes. You should always do your girth exercises after your stretching exercises for this reason, since you'll probably have a hard time grabbing your head and getting a good grip if it's lubricated. Now, for the exercise, first off, get yourself an 80% erection. I usually know I'm at around 80% when I'm hard but I can still bend it pretty easily. Once you've got that taken care of, make an ok grip at the base and slide it up towards the head. This should take about 2-3 secs. Make sure your pushing the blood and not just the skin. Now when your up at the head, switch hands and start again. Do 25 of these in your first week. Then, each week, add another set of 25. Continue like this until you reach 200 jelqs, wich should be around the end of your second month. Remember to always massage after each set. This'll help prevent injury.

The last important thing to talk about is the Warm up and Warm down. For the warm up, before you start the Long Schlong, take a hot towel and wrap it on your penis for about 3 mins. It's that simple. For the warm down, you can either do the warm towel again, or you can do what I do and take a bath or a shower. They all work. Some have developped fancier ways to warm up. But I'm a fan of the KISS way of fàdoing things: Keep It Simple Stupid.

And there you go! Those are the basic exercises that most people do in their first month of Penis enlargement. Now go start so you can marvel at the effects of these techniques.

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JR

http://www.thebestmanyoucanbe.com

Erectile dysfunction: causes and treatment

2008-06-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

Erectile dysfunction causes

The causes are many, but the main culprits of lowering potency remain progressive atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypertension, tobacco and alcohol dependence. When these diseases are occurring organism changes in the vessels, which resulted that walls of veins and arteries lose elasticity and flexibility, become fragile and brittle, which is one of the most frequent causes of impotence.

In normal condition, under the influence of the central nervous system impulses, occurs relaxation of wall receptacles of penis, resulting in blood quickly fills the penis. Increasing arteries compressing smaller vessels, which in a relax position the blood drop in veins; outflow of blood decreases rapidly, and that ensures the erection.

However, the progression of atherosclerosis and, consequently, deposition of cholesterol plaques on the walls of vessels, the use of drugs that reduce blood pressure, diabetic vascular lesions, alcohol abuse, stress - all of this, together and separately, reduces the ability to normal erection.

Erectile dysfunction diagnosis

A call to pay more attention to own health - not empty words. According to statistics, only one in ten men, faced with sexual disorders, go to a specialist. Meanwhile, more than half of the cases of erection can be restored. We need only to look into the causes of the problem. And here alone without consulting the specialist can not do - need visit a doctor, who will decide your problem.

First of all, a doctor find out whether the violations hiding in the sexual area inflammatory diseases of the prostate, bladder, etc. To answer this question you may also be sent to the urologist consultation, followed by ultrasound, blood letting, as well as taking bacteriological swab.

If inflammatory diseases will not be identified, the doctor may refer you to an endocrinologist, since potency violations often associated with hormonally violations, special analysis will establish content in the blood of certain hormones.

Vascular disorders that lead to ED, identified by modern research methods - ultrasound dopplerography, modern techniques allow even determine the quantitative and qualitative indicators of penis bloodstream.

Erectile dysfunction treatment

In aphrodisiacs place came all known Viagra. But this is not a panacea, as they take. Viagra has side effects, among which the most innocent - a sudden change of color sensation in which everything around becomes blue. Here is a list of more severe effects of Viagra include headache, redness and individually in some cases, worsening heart diseases and this is not to mention the numerous forgery of that remedy.

Regarding the choice of treatment, the issue entirely depends on what the cause of disease. Methods are many - from medication to surgery.

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Safety of erectile dysfunction drugs taking in patients with cardiovascular pathology

2008-06-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

Erectile dysfunction limits the sexual activity of men. At the same time decreasing the risk of cardiovascular complications related to erectile dysfunction. Thanks to the introduction of PDE5 inhibitors significantly expanded the opportunities of erectile dysfunction pharmacological correction, including patients with cardiovascular diseases.

The urgency of the problem of preventing complications once again increased, although PDE inhibitors themselves in general do not affect, but rather improve the condition of circulation. In particular, the taking of the usual dose of Levitra marginally affect the frequency of heart rate and blood pressure at rest and during loading.

This drug is does not worsen the bearing of loads. Moreover in patients with ischemic heart disease (IBS) at the level of loads appropriate sexual acts slowing the progress of myocardial ischemia. The huge international experience of applying PDE5 inhibitors attests to their safety, subject to certain rules.

They were formulated back to 2000 in the form of special recommendations (Princeton Consensus Panel). In accordance with it each patient on whom to appoint PDE5 inhibitors first need to assess the risks associated with cardiovascular diseases (this is routine task for the internist practice).

Only after that depending on the degree of risk may be either encouraged to resume sexual activity, applied to remove erectile dysfunction a medicine drug - PDE5 inhibitor (if low risk) or temporarily (up to a substantial reduction of risk at the expense of treatment) to abandon this (if high risk). In addition, it should be remembered about the dangers of interaction PDE5 inhibitors with some medicines, including often appointed by physicians, cardiologists, and urologists.

This precaution, primarily related to nitrates and donators to NO - they can not take along with PDE5 inhibitors. Alpha blockers can be used in conjunction with erectile dysfunction drugs only with extreme caution.

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Erectile dysfunction remedies

2008-06-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

Dear friends in this post I will tell you about drugs which help maintain normal male erection.

Viagra

It all started in 1998 when the Pfizer has received permission from the FDA on the production and sale of Viagra. Viagra - this is only a trade mark, the acting substance called sildenafil (Sildenafil). The normal dosage of Viagra - 50 mg. The effect occurs after 60 minutes after receiving and lasts 3-5 hours usually.

Levitra

Active ingredient is vardenafil. In the average Levitra dose is 10 mg. Levitra starts to work faster than Viagra, and the effect is in average 30 minutes after taking. Viagra and Levitra should not be taken more than once a day. Levitra and Viagra has many side effects such as pain in back, distorted view (items diffluent and acquire blue shade), headache. Some patients even mentioned the temporary disappearance of peripheral vision.

Cialis

Cialis brand owner and distributor in the U.S. is the company Eli Lilly. Active ingredient is inhibitor of enzyme PDE5 called tadalafil. This relatively new medicine drugs issued to the market in 2003. The main differences Cialis of Viagra and Levitra are quick effect coming (15-20 minutes) and duration - Cialis works up to 36 hours. Therefore it nicknamed "weekend pill".

Contraindications to take Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are:

Taking drug such types as nitrites and nitrates (such as nitroglycerine)
Liver disease
Low blood pressure
Heart diseases

All these drugs of course are effective, but the big disadvantage is that they all have serious side effects.

Apart from brand drugs on the market, there are generics - are drugs containing the same substance in effect, but sold under different brand.

Herbal erection remedies

Becoming increasingly popular erection herbal pills now. These generics are consisting entirely of natural components. I will not tell about all. Tell only the most recent generation of erection herbal pills.

Vigaplus

Vigaplus is a new generation herbal remedies. At the moment it is a recognized leader in erection herbal pills. Active ingredients in Vigaplus are entirely natural components, no chemical compounds. But in its effect, they surpass Viagra. In Vigaplus pharmacists have found an excellent combination of herbs and plants which give erection any man suffering from erectile dysfunction. Vigaplus takes effect within 30 minutes after taking and has duration of 4 hours.

Vigaplus main advantages compared with Viagra, Cialis, Levitra are:

93% absorption into the bloodstream
no any side effects (because it consists only of natural components)
safe for health
no doctor`s prescription required
low price

Vigaplus distributor

Monster Drugs Pharmacy is the official distributor of Vigaplus and sells it worldwide. According Monster Drugs Pharmacy Vigaplus is slowly beginning to acquire great popularity. Of the 100% consumers ordered Vigaplus, 80% ordering it again.

Erectile dysfunction: what is it and how to treat it

2008-06-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

Experience, understanding the intrinsic values, special attitude towards love and sex - is not so these qualities appreciate females in their partners?

With the age intimate life is changing - and not far worse, because the man is beginning to worry more about the partner`s feelings, and sex blooms with new colors of tenderness and trust.

Unfortunately, growing up and gaining life experience is often accompanied by stress, chronic diseases, easing tone. This in turn leads that every year more than 150 million men worldwide have erectile dysfunction. Specialists define erectile dysfunction as the inability to achieve and maintain erection necessary for the commission of sexual intercourse. A man can hide or not to recognize this problem and not to go to a doctor for treatment, years of worrying over the lack of a harmonious sexual life. Also from it suffers a woman. As a result a maturity period turns into wilt and premature aging period.

Many men can sometimes have difficulty with erection, but does not mean that these problems can become permanent in the future. To establish a diagnosis of erectile dysfunction it should be regular recurrence of these problems. Erectile dysfunction is a frequent condition. Presumably some 152 million men worldwide suffer from erectile dysfunction.

How much can be expressed erectile dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction can be expressed in varying degrees in different men.

Basically, doctors are using the following division of the degree of erectile dysfunction:

Lack of erectile dysfunction

Fully preserving the ability to achieve and maintain erection during sexual intercourse.

Light erectile dysfunction

The opportunity to achieve and maintain erection is slightly broken. Misfire occurs only occasionally. Men with light erectile dysfunction do not seek to doctor, looking for a way out for yourselves: for example buy stimulators of erection. But we'll talk about this later.

Moderate erectile dysfunction

The failures occur in about half of the cases. The opportunity to achieve and maintain erection moderately impaired. Men with moderate ED rarely satisfied with sexual intercourse. Most men with erectile dysfunction have a moderate degree of its expression.

Heavy degree of erectile dysfunction

Misfire occurs frequently, more than half of the cases. Men try to avoid sexual contact, usually they already have one or more diagnosed diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, etc.

But do not be discouraged. Modern erectile dysfunction remedies have effectively helps to treat various degrees of ED. You ask what are these remedies? About this I will tell you in next post.