By watching television or reading magazines, you could easily conclude that men seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction have only one option: pills.
The top three brands - Cialis, Levitra, and Viagra - face a costly battle to win men's loyalty, and in the past 14 years have led, through suggestive publicity, to satires and controversy, ever since the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) will approve Viagra.
But advertising lures aside, what if the pills don't work for you, as 25% to 30% of men with this problem do? Or, if they stop working after a few years, a common situation in men with an underlying cardiovascular disorder that causes the dysfunction?
Many patients think that with the pills they will recover completely, says Dr. Ajay Nehra, professor of urology at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. And others find that if they take the Kamagra pills, they are "not sexually the same" as they were before their dysfunction began, he says.
If you are among the men who want - or need - to try other erectile dysfunction therapies, here are the top three options, some of which are cheaper and more effective than pills. All costs listed below may vary depending on health coverage.
However, before embarking on erectile dysfunction treatments, remember that erectile function and overall health typically improve when heart health improves through weight loss, a healthy diet, exercise, and smoking cessation.
In addition, sex therapy sessions can usually alleviate or eliminate symptoms of the problem if the underlying cause is psychological, says Dr. Drogo Montague, director of the Centre for Genitourinary Reconstruction at the Cleveland Clinic.
1. Vacuum device (penis pump)
Penile pumps produce erections by drawing blood to the penis through suction of air. These devices consist of a 12 to 18-inch long cylindrical tube that connects to a hand pump through a small air hose (in many models, it resembles the clamping mechanism on a blood pressure monitor).
Users place the tube over the penis and then pump to produce an erection. Then they must put an elastic band around the base of the penis to hold the blood and maintain the erection.
Obviously, it's not the most spontaneous thing, explains Dr. Tobias Kohler, he is an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Imagine if someone had sex for the first time with a new partner and took out this lunch box.
While pumps produce erections in 90% of users, most abandon them for other treatments, says Dr. Trinity J. Bivalacqua, assistant professor of Urology and Oncology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institution.
The pumps are "very cumbersome and clunky," says Bivalacqua. Although they reliably produce erections, the pumps have the lowest satisfaction rate of all erectile dysfunction treatments. "In my practice, most of the men who try them end up saying 'It's not for me,'" he says.
Insurance typically covers 80% of the cost of a $ 500 pump, and consumers must pay about $ 100 out of pocket.
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