An Abuja-based gynaecologist, Dr John Anoti, has warned that getting up frequently at night to urinate could be a sign of erectile dysfunction and other problems relating to sex in many men.
Anoti told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja that as men get older they may develop urinary tract problems caused by an enlarged prostate.
He explained erectile dysfunction as the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual while prostate is a small, muscular gland in the male reproductive system.
“Your prostate surrounds your urethra and produces most of the fluid in your semen, muscular action of the prostate helps propel the fluid and semen through your penis during sexual climax.
“Benign prostatic hypertrophy, or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), occurs when the cells of the prostate gland begin to multiply.
“These additional cells cause your prostate gland to swell, which squeezes the urethra and limits the flow of urine, obstruction may be so severe that no urine can leave the bladder at all.
“Indicators of sexual function are inversely related to the severity of urinary tract symptoms,” he said.
The expert added that as the men’s urinary symptoms increase, the level of sexual function decreased which would lead to an erectile dysfunction.
Anoti said that urinary tract symptoms resulting from an enlarged prostate that are most strongly associated with erectile dysfunction were a feeling of urgency and a weak urine stream.
He also explained that difficulty in urinating as well as getting up several times at night to urinate are some of the signs of erectile dysfunction, adding that this is more prevalent among men in their 60’s than men in their 40’s.
Anoti, however, said that treatment was dependent on the cause and that men with some or all of the symptoms should go for urgent medical help.