Erectile dysfunction (ED) can have many different causes, both physical and psychological. In some cases, ED can be a part of ageing, while others may experience it earlier – around 40% of men in their 40s have reported some form of ED, while older men experience higher rates.
In many cases, ED will have an underlying condition attached – the most common being high cholesterol or blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and depression. In some cases, it can also be caused by medication side effects.
However, one aspect that can be overlooked is the health of your pelvic floor muscles.
What is the Pelvic Floor?
The pelvic floor muscles run between the coccyx (tailbone) and the pubic bone. These muscles are normally responsible for supporting the bladder and the bowel, but they also help with sexual function in both men and women. The muscles are normally kept somewhat tense, relaxing to allow you to empty your bladder or bowel. These muscles operate both under your conscious control and automatically, depending on when they are being used.
During an erection, the penis fills with blood, causing the tissues to swell and become hard. This blood is kept in the penis by a few methods; blood vessels close, the tissue in the penis swelling stops the flow of blood, and the pelvic floor muscles tense up to keep blood from leaving the penis, helping you maintain an erection.
As such, the stronger your pelvic floor muscles, the stronger your erections may be. Training these muscles can also help your sex life in other ways, including better control of ejactulation and potentially stronger orgasms.
Alongside erectile dysfunction, there are some signs to know if you have a weak pelvic floor;
- Frequent bathroom visits, whether to urinate or pass bowel movements
- Needing to start and stop frequently when urinating, or post-micturation dribble
- Issues with urinary and bowel continence
- Unexplained pain in the lower back, pelvic region, genitals or anus
While these can be caused individually by other health conditions, together they can be signs of pelvic floor dysfunction. If you are concerned about other potential causes of these symptoms, speak to your doctor or sexual health practitioner.
How Can I Train my Pelvic Floor?
In many cases, pelvic floor exercises are targeted towards women, particularly after pregnancy – pelvic floor exercises for men are similar, but do have different functions.
Firstly, you should identify your pelvic floor. While sitting, try to clench the ring of muscle around the rear, as though you were holding in wind. Clench and relax this muscle a few times.
The second set of muscles are behind the penis; picture you are urinating, and want to stop the flow. Pull that muscle closed, then relax it. You may feel your penis move towards your abdomen when you do this – that’s a sign you have the right muscle. Once you know which muscles you are exercising, you can begin strengthening your pelvic floor.
Tighten your pelvic floor, tensing the muscles around the penis and anus at the same time, as tightly as you can. Try and hold this for a count of five, then slowly release the clench and relax the muscles. If you find you can easily hold this for 5 seconds, try and extend the time up to 10 seconds.
Repeat this as many times as you are able, up to 10 times in one session. Make sure you give some time to rest between each contraction – these muscles can be overstrained easily!
Once you have done your longer, slow tenses, it’s time to do shorter ones. Perform 5 short but strong contractions, pulling the muscles in and immediately relaxing. If the longer ones are bench presses, these are push ups – short, sharp contractions.
This routine should be repeated up to 5 times a day. You can do these whether you are sitting, standing or walking, meaning it can be easy to build them into your daily routine. Find 5 set times each day – when you get to your desk at work, your lunch break, etc.
At first, you may find it easier to do these exercises while sitting, but as you improve the muscle tone, you will find it easy to do them whenever. Do be cautious about doing them in public – especially at first, you will visibly tense other muscles, meaning it can be somewhat obvious what you are doing!
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Alternative Treatment Options
If you find that these exercises do not help with your erectile dysfunction, there are other treatment options. Simple Online Pharmacy offers a wide variety of ED medications, including branded options such as Viagra and Cialis, as well as generic versions (sildenafil and tadalafil). These generic medications contain the same active ingredients, in the same strengths – the only difference is the price.
