The Relationship Between Peyronie’s, Low T, and Erectile Dysfunction

There seems to be a link between Peyronie’s disease, low T, and erectile dysfunction, but it’s not entirely clear which comes first. The decreased rigidity, which naturally comes with ED, may be a risk factor for penile fractures, trauma, and Peyronie’s disease. Let’s learn more about the relationship between Peyronie’s, low T, and erectile dysfunction.

Some Definitions

Urologists report that Peyronie’s disease, low T, and erectile dysfunction are three of the most common issues that they treat.

Low T refers to low testosterone. This sexual hormone deficiency is a condition which affects many men. There are ways to treat it, and Louisiana Healthcare Associates Urology Division can help.

Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is the inability for a man to get and maintain an erection strong enough and long enough to have sexual intercourse. Many men report they have ED prior to Peyronie’s disease. Millions of men suffer from this, and it usually is associated with age, although young men can have it as well.

Peyronie’s disease is a condition where fibrous scar tissue and plaque develops on the penis leading to a curved painful erection possibly from an injury. In many cases you can feel it under the skin as flat lumps or a band of hard tissue. Peyronie’s disease symptoms may appear suddenly or develop gradually. The penis may become shorter or bend to the right, left, downward, or upward.

Causal Relationships

Can any one of these conditions lead to one or the other two? In some cases, yes.

• Erectile dysfunction and/or low T can result in Peyronie’s disease. When you have ED and it is difficult to maintain a rigid penis during sexual intercourse, it is possible to injure the penis leading to Peyronie’s. In addition, low T can contribute to difficulty maintaining an erect penis.
• ED and low T can exacerbate Peyronie’s disease if someone already has it.
• Low testosterone and Peyronie’s disease can eventually lead to erectile dysfunction. When a man does not have sufficient testosterone, it lowers his sex drive. Peyronie’s disease makes sexual intercourse painful, so the combination may cause a man to find sex less desirable.

There are multiple physical, psychological and emotional issues at play here. It takes an expert to sift through the causes of each, diagnose the condition(s), and decide upon a successful treatment plan.