As many as 91% of men with multiple sclerosis are estimated to have difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection as a result of the disease. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis may potentially affect a man’s ability to achieve an erection both physically and psychologically.
What are the physical factors that lead to impotency in men with MS?
Though MS varies from case to case, the major damage done to the body is often the demyelination of nerve cells in the body. Demyelination occurs when the myelin sheath around nerve cells are attacked by the body’s immune system, leading to the growth of scar tissue (sclerosis). This nerve damage can make it difficult for nerve impulses to properly travel throughout the body. As it relates to sexual function, when a man with MS receives a visual, auditory or sensory sexual cue, the neurological impulses may not effectively be translated from the brain to the genitals, resulting in problems achieving and/or maintaining an erection.
Nerve damage due to MS can also have a desensitizing affect on the penis, so it may take longer to stimulate or may have no feeling at all. Men with MS can also suffer with ejaculatory problems that limit the amount of semen discharged during orgasm or retrograde ejaculation, in which the semen goes into the bladder instead of exiting the shaft. Losing orgasmic function can also result from MS.
What are the psychological factors that lead to impotency in men with MS?
Men with MS can develop depression, which is a major cause of erectile dysfunction in men. Nerve damage may lead to depression because of the body’s ability to process mood altering signals. Depression can also be caused by medications used to treat MS, the mental drain caused by physical decline, stress, and the inability to have a satisfactory sex life.
Although MS can have some very serious sexual side effects, there is hope, even for those who are impotent. Treatment options exist that can address both the physiological and psychological causes of impotency in men with MS. Oral medications may be effective in treating ED, and for those who aren’t helped by pills, alternative treatments such as vasodilators, vacuum suction devices and intra-urethral suppositories can also be effective. If you’re suffering from MS and ED, contact your physician and see which treatment is right for you.
