Can stress and anxiety lead to erectile dysfunction?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 46-year-old male, and there is a pain in my left testicle and back for the last five days. Three days back, I experienced erectile dysfunction in between the intercourse. I am a regular gym-going man with a daily one-hour workout and walking for thirty minutes on the treadmill, but recently, I have added jogging to it. Till now, I have not used an athletic supporter while gymming. I wear tight jeans too, and my BMI is 30. Please guide me.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand that you are fit and you are a bit overweight with a BMI (body mass index) of 30. This might be muscle mass that can be detected by waist circumference. The pain in the left Testis can have many causes. For gym people, varicocele and other reasons can be mainly idiopathic apart from infections, which I do not think is the case with you. For diagnosis, you will need an ultrasound of the scrotum. For erectile dysfunction, as you do not have comorbid chronic conditions like diabetes or hypertension, it is mostly either hormonal or psychological, which will be due to stress issues. To detect the hormone levels, you will need to have a serum testosterone level to precisely understand and reach the diagnosis and treatment. Please do the investigations as mentioned above, then follow up with results.