Dear Dad, Go For A Checkup This Father’s Day

This week on Ask Valentine we will be talking about Male Reproductive Health. A woman wrote in to me talking about her husband and how he is unable to ejaculate.

More in the video

It’s obvious that male reproductive health is not something we like to speak about, but we must realize that there is so much that goes into keeping your penis happy, healthy, and hard.

You might think that a beautiful partner is all it takes and you wouldn’t be alone. We women have long blamed our thick thighs and juicy waistlines for flaccid penises but they do not actually play as big a role as a man’s biology.

Daddy, your penis is your friend and when he isn’t working right, he might be trying to tell you something.  If you are suffering from a sudden (or more frequent) bout of erectile dysfunction, it may be an indication of:

1. Heart disease– years ago a friend whose husband was in his 50s was surprised when they went to see a doctor due to his erectile issues and he was immediately booked into heart surgery.  It turned out his clogged cardiac arteries were the culprit and he was in danger of having a heart attack.

2. Diabetes – insulin-resistant diabetes damages nerves (diabetic neuropathy) and puts its patients at high risk for heart disease.  Erections are created by nerve stimulation and great blood flow so impairment of either can lead to erectile dysfunction.  Incidentally, frequent urination is another symptom of diabetes.

3. High Blood Pressure  – a little known fact is that Viagra was actually created as a blood pressure medication and its billion-dollar claim to fame was actually an unplanned side effect.  About 50% of men with high blood pressure experience erectile dysfunction because the arteries in the penis do not dilate as they should.  Some medications for high blood pressure decrease blood pressure.

4. Time to quit smoking – nicotine narrows blood vessels, increasing blood pressure and then blood cannot flow to the penis efficiently.

5. Time to lose weight – if you cannot see your penis when you stand upright, it is time to start exercising and eating more vegetables.  Your penis misses you and he wants to see your face so hit the gym or take a walk around the neighborhood.

6. Low testosterone – this hormone makes you a man (at least physically).  At the onset of puberty, it deepened your voice, told your penis to grow, broadened your shoulders, and put hair on your chest and face.  It is also responsible for your sex drive.  A dip in libido, an increase in breast size and fat around the waist, genital numbness and increased fatigue are all signs of decreasing testosterone.

If you are a man who hates going to the doctor, you are not alone, frankly, I don’t know many people who think ‘yippee, doctor time’.  But regular check-ups will keep you and your favorite toy,  happy and playing for years to come (pun intended). Why not get a checkup as a gift to yourself this Father’s Day.

You Might Also Like: My Girlfriend is on the Pill and I don’t Like It.

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