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Hi Guys,

I just found this wonderful forum. I have a lot of to read to catch up.
I am 46 yo, started with ED 10 years ago and the severity of the ED got bad ever since, until last year, since then I have no erection at all. Nothing. Zero.
I am on TRT (Nebido) for 6 years because of very low testosterone. According to blood test, the TRT restored my testosterone to normal levels but libido never came back.
Most probably I have also very bad blood flow.

At the beginning, when I still had some kind of an erection, but no libido, if I started the sexual activity I felt the desire built up during the sexual activity.

As I mentioned, today I have no erections at all. No morning wood, not with porn, not with my wife, not with young beautiful women, not with Viagra. My penis doesn't change in size even a millimeter.

I have been reading randomly through the topics here and I read the stories of the brave men that did a penile implant (I envy these men for their courage). But at least in the stories that I read, all of the men say that before the implant they still had some kind of erection. Maybe it wasn't hard enough, maybe they were not able to maintain the erection, but they still had something.

So I would like to hear from men that are in the same boat as me.
And also, do you think that something can be fixed after not having an erection for more that a year?
My penis has not changed size in more than a year, no orgasm in more than year.
I read some where that the penis may shorten if there is no erection for so long.

Thank you,
Benny

Thanks for sharing your experience, Benny.

Yes, testosterone seems to play an important role in erectile function, it is a precursor to nitric oxide synthesis. Low T levels may lead to ED. I've always had low levels of T but I am able to have great sex thanks to my medication. I would never try TRT, though. I don't like to mess with my hormones and there are safer ways to increase T levels, e.g. a healthy lifestyle.

What did your urologist say about the cause of your ED?

Benny- You found a great place to ask these questions. Wish I would have found FT before I had my implant instead of 5 months after. I was darn near at the same point you are, no erections. Even with injections it was a maybe. I was a bit older though, maybe early 50's when ED started.
I did the Viagra thing for several years until it began to fail and did nothing but give me headaches. Injections did fine at first then they began to fail, on top of the dosage I was up to made me hurt for a day or two after.
Now that I'm comfortable with my implant it's the best thing yet. One thing I wish I knew was to use a pump to maintain size and flexibility of your penis. The lack of erections allows things to shrink and there is no getting that back, even with an implant. I lost a good inch.
Find a good urologist who deals with ED. Ask questions. On top of low T you may have other things going on.
Good luck.

Thank you for your replies.

My lifestyle is as healthy as can be.
After ED started, I changed my life completely. I eat healthy 24/7/365. I Drink only water (no alcohol, not even coffee).
I exercise every day. I am thin and muscular.
Maybe a healthy lifestyle can raise testosterone a little, but I have hypogonadism. My body stopped creating testosterone and the only solution is TRT.

I will check the pump option to maintain the size and flexibility of my penis. It is a good idea.

The problem with ED that deteriorates slowly is that you are getting used to it and you lose motivation and hope to find a solution.

I am terrified about the implant option. From reading some posts here, the healing process seems hard in some cases. And some inconveniences may remain forever. My scrotum is very small (probably because of the TRT), and I don't see how I can fit in the implant pump.

The amazing body transformation that I did in the past years has led me to be good in some extreme sports and that may be hindered by the implant. So it is a tough decision to make.

Thanks,
Benny

Hey Benny!

Have you tried Viagra and injections ? They kept my erections going for five or six years until they stopped being effective and everything went limp. I now rely on a medical type VED to generate and maintain a hard erection. Not as convenient as an implant; however, at 78, I am not ready to give up nine months or so of sex.

Benny,

Welcome to the forum. My ED is a direct result of nerve damage from a radical prostatectomy so my situation differs from yours in that respect. My ED is very profound but in a strict since, in certain situations and with stimulation, I can get a little thickening and a hint of firmness at the base but I doubt my wife would even notice it it's so minimal. It something only I can notice and it may be more wishful thinking that a reality. Viagra, when taken alone, has no noticeable effect at all. So basically, no I don't have any erection day or night.

Yes, absolutely start using a pump, at least for therapy. You may find that holding a pumped up and lubed dick (lube is necessary to use the pump) your libido may awaken a bit. If it does you can try using a constriction ring so you can actually use it. In my case, while Viagra does nothing by itself, I find that taking some before using the VED does make pumping noticeably easier. You might want to give that a try. As a side note I'll suggest a fairly good manscaping session before pumping and especially before using a silicone constriction ring. Bad things happen when silicone rings are combined with genital hair.

I think injections would be worth your while to try. They don't work well for everyone but for some, myself included, they can be a miracle. I've been happily using Edex and then (for longer) a compounded mono-mix of alprostadil for 9 years. IMHO, it's worth it to find out if you can be a satisfied prick sticker. I will happily ride the injection train as long as it last.

Good luck.

Edited for typo.

Flavio wrote:I would never try TRT, though. I don't like to mess with my hormones and there are safer ways to increase T levels, e.g. a healthy lifestyle.

Flavio, I suppose you do realise you are “messing with your hormones” with taking Dutasteride? This is causing a lot more damage than a physiological replacement dose of Testosterone does. In fact this replacement dose of T is actually doing beneficial actions in the body for someone whose levels are low.
It is often the case "that a healthy lifestyle" will do absolutely nothing to help improve T levels in most with low T.
As we age T levels decline considerably. Many of the negative physiological changes in the male body are caused by this. Loss of muscle mass, increase in abdominal fat, decrease in cognitive function, decrease in libido, changes in the erectile tissues, the list goes on.
Dutasteride, is doing one thing, obliterating your DHT levels. DHT is responsible for many of the actions that Testosterone performs in the body. This in my opinion is really "messing with your hormones” big time.
I won’t give up on my “rants” to stop taking 5 alpha reductase inhibitors. They are awful drugs. Don’t worry, one of my best friends continually suffers my non approving comments about his Finasteride use for hairloss.
The OP is taking testosterone for a beneficial reason, so I needed to step in here and help you see the error in your statements.

benny1940 wrote:Thank you for your replies.

My lifestyle is as healthy as can be.
After ED started, I changed my life completely. I eat healthy 24/7/365. I Drink only water (no alcohol, not even coffee).
I exercise every day. I am thin and muscular.
Maybe a healthy lifestyle can raise testosterone a little, but I have hypogonadism. My body stopped creating testosterone and the only solution is TRT.

I will check the pump option to maintain the size and flexibility of my penis. It is a good idea.

The problem with ED that deteriorates slowly is that you are getting used to it and you lose motivation and hope to find a solution.

I am terrified about the implant option. From reading some posts here, the healing process seems hard in some cases. And some inconveniences may remain forever. My scrotum is very small (probably because of the TRT), and I don't see how I can fit in the implant pump.

The amazing body transformation that I did in the past years has led me to be good in some extreme sports and that may be hindered by the implant. So it is a tough decision to make.

Thanks,
Benny

Benny, sorry to hear you have such a severe case of erectile dysfunction.
What was the diagnosis from your specialist with regard to your ED? Have you had testing done with regard to blood flow in the penis and its ability to perform venous occlusion with an injection?
How long do you think you have had hypogonadism for? Is it primary or secondary?
No improvement with nocturnal erections whilst being on T replacement?

I personally do not like Nebido as a form of T replacement. It can cause over a period of time, considerable conversion of T into estrogen. This happens because of the whopping dose of T that is injected each time. Over time the body increases levels of aromatase enzyme to combat what it sees as an unnatural burst of T and converts it into estrogen and other hormones. I have heard of guys developing Gynecomastia from using Nebido. Not initially, but a year or so after. It may be complicating your ED problem or it may be causing some of your problem.
Implementing a bi weekly low dose injection of T can fix this issue. This eliminates most of the peaks and troughs associated with higher dose infrequent injections.

Hi Simbarn,

It is not easy to find a good urologist in my country. The ones I had don't explain anything and don't really care about their patients.

I don't really understand the difference between primary and secondary hypogonadism. But it is a pity that testosterone levels are not checked throughout life before ED happens. Although I liked masturbation and sex when I was younger, I am pretty sure that my libido was always milder than most men, so it is possible that my testosterone level was always on the low side.
But when ED started, the first test I did was blood testosterone test and it turned out very low (below the minimum).
So the doctor immediately recommended TRT. Because doctors never try to fix the cause of the problem.
If I can go back 10 years in time, I would probably start with life style changes instead of TRT.

I have NO nocturnal erections (nor morning woods) for at least 10 years. This and the slow deterioration for the last 10 years is why I don't think my problem is psychological.
I use TRT for 7 years now, I don't think it is possible to stop it now, because my body will not resume the natural testosterone creation.
The "good" thing about Nebido injection is that there are no high peaks. The release of the testosterone is more or less constant over a period of 3 months.

Sometimes I have this stupid thought and I wish I had some "real" health issue that will explain my ED. It is hard to look in the mirror and see my body and immediately remember that I have ED. All the time I get compliments, even from straight men, about my body.
I hope I don't offend anyone here in the forum. I know many of you have gone through terrible health problems. I salute you.

Thanks,
Benny
.

Simbarn wrote: [...] Flavio, I suppose you do realise you are “messing with your hormones” with taking Dutasteride? [...]

Yes, you are absolutely right. I agree that these drugs are dangerous but today I have a full head of hair thanks to these treatments. I would never recommend them to anyone, though.