The National Multiple Sclerosis Society estimates that MS affects over 400,000 people in the United States alone. Furthermore, they estimate that 91% of men with MS report having symptoms of either erectile dysfunction or impotence.
Defined as the inability to achieve and/or maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse, erectile dysfunction (ED) will affect 1 in 3 men worldwide at some point during their lives. Although erectile dysfunction is sometimes associated with older males, the onset of MS and its accompanying sexual side effects often affect men in the 20 to 40 age range.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic and commonly debilitating disease of the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord & optic nerves). MS causes the body’s immune system to attack the myelin sheath that protects nerve cells throughout the body, leaving the nerve cells damaged and forming scar tissue (sclerosis). This damage affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate effectively, and a variety of symptoms can result. The severity and course of the disease is different in each case, with some experiencing frequent and severe attacks, while for others, attacks are far less common.
Sexual dysfunction is common in men with multiple sclerosis. Nerve damage resulting from the disease can affect the erection reflex and lead to a soft or non-existent erection, as well as reduced sensation in the penis. Moreover, medications that are used to control MS can potentially have sexual side effects as well. Men with MS may also have problems with retrograde ejaculation, where the semen is released into the bladder during orgasm instead of out of the penis, and ejaculatory impotence, the lack of ability to reach orgasm altogether.
Because health conditions can manifest themselves in multiple ways in the body, like multiple sclerosis and erectile dysfunction, it is important to talk with your physician about all of your health concerns.
