Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but treatments like therapy and medication can help treat both the cause and effect.
There’s evidence of a possible connection between PTSD, sometimes called post-traumatic stress or post-traumatic injury, and ED, which is an inability to get or keep an erection.
Both conditions are related to the way your body responds to arousal. When you have PTSD, your body may perceive feelings of arousal as a threat and keep you from being able to get or maintain an erection.
Read on to learn more about what the research says about PTSD and ED, how you can tell if your ED is related to PTSD, and how to treat ED that’s connected to PTSD. Can PTSD affect or cause ED?
Usually, sexual arousal in males causes the body to go through a series of changes that lead to an erection so that sex or masturbation is possible. These include increased blood flow to the penis and changes in your nervous system to increase sensation in your pelvis and genitals.
In people with PTSD , these otherwise normal changes in your body during arousal can trigger a fight-or-flight response instead, stopping you from getting an erection. This can happen when your body experiences heightened emotions that trigger intense feelings related to traumatic events, even if those events weren’t sexual at all .
Intrusive thoughts or memories related to trauma can also stop you from being able to focus during sexual activity or reduce […]
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