When It Hurts When You Ejaculate-Coming and Going

It is not an uncommon complaint for men to have pain at the time of ejaculation. This is almost always a result of inflammation and can be resolved with medication. Pain at the time of ejaculation can be felt in the area between the anus and the scrotum or in the urethra, a tube that runs from the bladder to the end of the penis. The condition can cause discomfort in the testes and certainly interferes with sexual pleasure.

Painful Ejaculation can be caused by an inflammatory condition of the prostate gland which can make the prostate feel sore and irritated, STDs may cause inflammation in the prostate and the urethra and cause pain with ejaculation and pain with urination, obstruction to the ejaculatory ducts that get distended and then cause pain when the seminal vesicles contract at the time of ejaculation, and finally, psychological problems can manifest themselves as painful ejaculation.

To find the cause of painful ejaculation, a semen sample and urine sample taken after ejaculation (post ejaculation urine analysis) is examined. A sample of the urethral lining is taken to see if there is any infection, such as a sexually transmitted infection. A test that looks at the inside of the bladder and urethra (cystoscopy) may also be done, although this is not a usual procedure for diagnosing painful ejaculation. For some men it can be hard to describe the exact location of the pain.

Treatment
If no physical cause is found, some behavioral techniques to relax the muscles in the pelvic area may help some men. When the cause is prostatitis the use of medications such as ‘alpha blockers’, muscle relaxants, analgesics, and some anti-inflammatory drugs may help. Specific antiviral and antibiotic medications can be given if the cause of painful ejaculation is due to an infection such as herpes.
If the cause is psychological, counseling may help deal with any underlying concerns.

Bottom Line: Painful ejaculation is not life-threatening, but may affect sexual pleasure and can cause a man distress, anxiety and lower self esteem. In most instances the cause can be determined and effective treatment is available..

Blue Balls-When It Hurts Down There During Sexual Activity

Nearly every young man has had the experience of intense sexual stimulation and an aching sensation in his testicles. It is common in young men just experiencing sexual activity and has been a source of pain and discomfort for nearly every man who embarks on his sexual career.

Blue balls is a slang term referring to testicular aching that may occur when the blood that fills the vessels in a male’s genital area during sexual arousal is not dissipated by orgasm and ejaculation.

When a man becomes sexually excited, the arteries carrying blood to the genital area enlarge, while the veins carrying blood from the genital area are more constricted than in the non-aroused state.

The good news is that this uneven blood flow causes blood to be trapped in the two chambers of the penis resulting in the penis becoming erect. This increase of blood supply to the testicles and the trapping of blood around the testicles because the outflow of blood has been decreased causes vasocongestion or engorgement of the testicles resulting in an increase in size of the testicles by 25-50 percent. This distension of the testicles results in the pain and discomfort referred to as blue balls.

If the male reaches orgasm and ejaculates, the arteries and veins return to their normal size, the volume of blood in the genitals is reduced and the penis and testicles return to their usual size rather quickly.

If ejaculation does not occur there may be a lingering sensation of heaviness, aching, or discomfort in the testicles due to the continued vasocongestion.
The condition usually does not last long and the level of pain associated with blue balls is usually minor and can be exaggerated. Most men have been socialized to ejaculate when they get an erection during sexual activity. Failure to ejaculate and to feel orgasm often adds frustration and disappointment to the reality of the physical sensation.

Men who believe that they should ejaculate every time they have an erection are likely to exert pressure on their partner to proceed with sex without taking her feelings into consideration.
Some men find that masturbation is a viable solution and are realizing that ejaculation is not a requirement in every sexual situation. This attitude allows both men and their partners to relax more and to learn that pleasure and meaning can exist without having to reach ejaculation and orgasm during every sexual encounter.

It’s nice to know that men are not alone with this problem as it impacts both sexes. Both men and women experience the discomfort of unrelieved vasocongestion. Women’s genitals also become engorged with blood during sexual arousal and, like their male counterparts, women can experience pelvic heaviness and aching if they do not reach orgasm.

Sex and The Senior Man-Help Is Available For Men With ED

It wasn’t too long ago that erectile dysfunction (ED) was believed to be a natural part of aging.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Middle age and older men who are healthy and have an opportunity to have sexual intimacy can expect to be successful in the bedroom. 

 Once taboo, ED has emerged from the shadows, thanks in large part to the widespread media attention give to Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. However, a wide variety of treatment options are now available that provide hope for men of any age suffering from ED symptoms. There simply is no reason to suffer in silence, whatever your age.

 Approximately 30 million men in the U.S. suffer from ED. An estimated 50 percent of men at age 50 experience some ED symptoms, and the percentage jumps 10% with each decade in life.

 Most men certainly aren’t willing to accept a decline in our eyesight with age—we use glasses when needed. In much the same way, ED is more than a minor inconvenience and can seriously impact quality of life for men and their partners.

 Related Health Risks

ED is a medical condition and can be an early warning sign of a much more serious condition, such as diabetes, heart disease, elevated cholesterol levels or disease of the blood vessels to the brain, which could lead to stroke. ED symptoms can also be a manifestation of depression.  This makes it even more important to pay attention to your ED symptoms.

 Aside from these physical symptoms, ED can take a serious toll on your overall well-being and mental health, causing strain on your relationships and unnecessary anguish and stress.

 Talk to Your Doctor

Talking to your doctor about your ED symptoms can feel embarrassing or difficult, but there’s no reason to be ashamed or uncomfortable. An active sex life can be just as important to your overall health as is proper nutrition and exercise.

 When you visit the doctor, tell him/her about other medical conditions you may have so you can determine whether your ED may be the symptom of a greater problem. Make a separate appointment to discuss ED, to make sure you have enough time to discuss your concerns. Ask for a referral to a urologist, a doctor who specializes in men’s urinary and sexual health issues.

 Be sure to discuss the all the possible issues surrounding your ED, the hurdles you face in all areas of sexual function, including your ability to get and keep an erection, sensitivity and other issues that may help pinpoint the root cause.

 Treatment Options

For many men, oral medications are not only very safe, but also quite effective. Pills such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are effective for about 70% of men. But for those with other health factors, such as cardiac disease, diabetes, oral medication may not be an option, or they may become less effective over time. For these men, there are a number of other treatment options available, including:

• Vacuum pump therapy, which requires the use of a small pump to mechanically enhance blood flow and create an erection. These devices are totally noninvasive, but they can be somewhat awkward to use and not conducive to spontaneity.
• Transurethral suppositories are tiny pellets of medication inserted into the urethra opening – a minimally invasive treatment, but still somewhat uncomfortable. This also requires some advance preparation.
• Injection therapy, while the concept is disturbing to most men at the start, involves the use of a very fine needle to inject medication to produce an erection. Because of both the psychological and physical discomfort, in spite of high levels of effectiveness, many men do not find this to be a long-term solution. About 50% of men who try injections, do not continue their use.
• Penile prosthetic implants are surgical devices concealed within the body that restore erectile function to as near natural as possible and still allow for spontaneity. While the concept itself is nothing new, the devices and implantation procedures have evolved considerably to make the procedure quicker and easier on the patient. While implants carry the same risks associated with any surgery, implant procedures generally have extremely high success rates and provide an effective solution for many men. Implants may not be for everyone, but they are a viable option to restore erectile function for most men over the age of 50, and they carry a very high satisfaction rate among patients and partners.

 Choosing a treatment that’s right for you depends on a number of factors, including your relationship status, the importance and level of physical intimacy required, and other health issues. Ask your doctor about the success rate and risks with each option and about what you can reasonably expect in the form of results. It’s unlikely that any treatment will restore erectile function back to the way it was in your younger years, especially with advanced age, but ED treatment can allow all men to enjoy and active and satisfying sex life well into their golden years.

 No matter what your age, it’s important to take that first step and talk to your doctor about ED symptoms. It’s never “normal” at any age to not have normal sexual function. With the wide variety of treatment options available, there’s no longer any reason to ignore the problem as a fact of life.

Bottom Line: ED is not a natural consequence of aging.  Help is available and no one needs to suffer the tragedy of the bedroom.

 

Modified article by Gerald Brock. By Healthy Aging Admin Published 09/16/2010 Health News

Got Premature Ejaculation? Give Kegels a Try

Premature ejaculation is a common condition that impacts so many American men. It leads to a source of frustration not only to the man but to his partner as well. There are dozens of folklore treatments but since none universally effective, that leaves many men continuing to suffer the embarrassment of premature ejaculation or PE. There are medical options, which include oral medication with SSRI or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and sex therapy that teach the squeeze technique.

However, a non-medical solution consists of pelvic floor exercise, more commonly called a Kegel exercise (named after Dr. Arnold Kegel), consists of contracting and relaxing the muscles that form part of the pelvic floor, which are referred to as the “Kegel muscles”. Several tools exist to help with these exercises, though many are ineffective. These exercises are usually done to reduce urinary incontinence and aid with childbirth in women, and reduce premature ejaculatory occurrences in men, as well as increase the size and intensity of erections.
Kegel exercises are employed to strengthen the pubococcygeal muscle and other muscles of the pelvic diaphragm. Kegels can help men achieve stronger erections and gain greater control over ejaculation. The objective of this may be similar to that of the exercise in women with weakened pelvic floor: to increase bladder and bowel control and sexual function.
Sexual function
Kegel workouts can provide men with stronger erections. Research published in 2005 issue of BJU International, have shown that pelvic floor exercises could help restore erectile function in men with erectile dysfunction. There are said to be significant benefits for the problem of premature ejaculation from having more muscular control of the pelvis. In men, this exercise lifts up the testicles, also strengthening the cremaster muscle, as well as the anal sphincter muscles, as the anus is the main area contracted when a Kegel is done. This is because the pubococcygeus muscle begins around the anus and runs up to the urinary sphincter.

Find a quiet and private place to practice your reverse Kegels. You’ll need to take your time when you first begin. You need to be patient if you don’t feel like you’re understanding the technique right away. You’ll need to settle into a place without any interruptions. Then, you will need to:
1. Relax the penile area completely and clear your mind of tension and anxiety. You want to be calm and relaxed so that the blood can flow into your penis.
2. Begin contracting the penile muscles. Focus on contracting the muscles near the front of your penis while keeping the rest of the pelvic area as relaxed as possible. The goal is to make your penis become stronger and more erect without actually having an erection.
3. Breathe deeply and slowly as you push out the muscles in the penile area and maintain focus on strengthening only the top and lower end of the penis. Take note of how relaxed and loose the muscles directly under your penis are.
4. Let go of the contraction and breathe more deeply as you exhale. Let your penis relax, then take another deep breath and contract again. Make sure you are only focusing on the front of your penis; push out, hold for a few seconds, then relax the muscles.
5. Repeat the cycle for at least 10-15 times per session so that you feel comfortable with the movement. The entire process will feel awkward at first, but it’s very important to focus on relaxation and keeping the muscles as loose as possible outside of the contractions. You can work your way up to 40-50 exercises per session as your penis becomes stronger.

Practicing Kegels for PE treatment isn’t the most effective PE cure but good results still possible so you should try it especially in a combination with other remedies such as SSRIs. The best thing about Kegels exercises it their absolute safety and the cost is just right-it’s free!

Bottom Line: Kegel exercises are not just for women but can also be used by men to treat premature ejaculation. Remember, a Kegel a day may keep your ejaculation away….or at least delayed for a few minutes!


Retrograde Ejaculation or Shooting Blanks

Most men experience the joy of ejaculation when the semen, sperm mixed with prostatic fluid, travels outside of the body at the time of orgasm. Retrograde ejaculation occurs when semen goes into the bladder instead of leaving the penis during ejaculation. Retrograde ejaculation isn’t harmful but it can impair fertility since it affects the delivery of sperm to the vagina during intercourse.
During normal ejaculation, internal muscles, called sphincters, close off the opening of the bladder to prevent semen from entering as it passes through the urethra. In retrograde ejaculation, the bladder opening doesn’t close properly and some or all of the semen is allowed to enter the bladder instead of being ejected out the tip of the penis. As a result, semen mixes with urine in the bladder and leaves the body during the next urination.
Retrograde ejaculation does not interfere with a man’s ability to have an erection or an orgasm. Men often first become aware that they have retrograde ejaculation when fertility problems arise. The condition also occurs after prostate surgery where the sphincters can be damaged or injured during the surgery. A common sign indicating retrograde ejaculation is if a man’s urine appears cloudy after sexual climax.
Retrograde ejaculation may occur either partially or completely. Men with incomplete retrograde ejaculation may notice a decrease in semen that comes out during ejaculation. Complete retrograde ejaculation can also be called dry orgasm or dry ejaculation since there is orgasm without the discharge of semen.
Since retrograde ejaculation isn’t harmful, it typically doesn’t require treatment unless it interferes with fertility. In such cases, treatment depends on the underlying cause.
If your doctor discovers that a prescribed medication, such as alpha blockers, is the cause, switching to a comparable medication or discontinuation of the drug often restores normal ejaculation.
Unfortunately, if retrograde ejaculation is caused by surgery or diabetes, it is often not correctable. However, some medications have been shown to improve muscle tone of the bladder neck and therefore reduce the loss of semen into the bladder during ejaculation. These medications include: epinephrine sulfate and epinephrine-like drugs (such as pseudoephedrine, imipramine, midodrin, desipramine and brompheniramine maleate).
Alternatively, men are sometimes encouraged to ejaculate when their bladder is full since having a full bladder can increase bladder neck closure.
If the above measures are not options or are not successful and fertility is still a concern, it is also possible for an urologist to retrieve sperm from a man’s urine following an orgasm and use it for artificial insemination.
It is also possible for men, prior to receiving treatments or surgeries that bring the risk of retrograde ejaculation, to have their semen cryopreserved (frozen) for insemination later.

Bottom Line: Retrograde ejaculation or sperm going backward into the bladder is not a very common problem but can be a problem if a man wishes to achieve a pregnancy with his partner. The condition does not need treatment unless a man wishes to achieve a pregnancy.