Three heart conditions that can ruin a man’s sex life

Atherosclerosis, hypertension and high cholesterol could be a reason why your sex life is suffering.

It is very romantic to say, ‘My heart beats only for you.’ But if you are not willing to take care of this vital organ your love life can suffer, especially in bed. Yes, heart conditions can make it difficult for you to have sexual intercourse. Remember your sexual health depends on your cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular problems can affect the blood flow to the genital regions which could take a toll on your sex life. Low blood flow to the genitals could lead to erectile dysfunction or inability to maintain an erection. Here we talk about the heart conditions that can lead to erectile dysfunction in men.

Atherosclerosis: It is a condition in which the arteries that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to other parts of the body become narrow and constricted due to plaque build-up. This narrowing of the blood vessels makes it difficult for the heart to pump blood, slows circulation and increases blood pressure. If you are wondering how this affects your sex life, know that this restricts or slows the blood flow to the penile region making it difficult for a man to achieve an erection. Also, the arteries that carry blood to the penis can suffer the same fate due to plaque deposition that further lower the blood flow. All this evidently takes a toll on the male sexual organ.

Hypertension: Both hypertension and erectile dysfunction are closely related. This is a type of cardiovascular risk factor that precedes atherosclerosis. Here, the arteries are marked with lesions that start to damage them. This, in turn, leads to high blood pressure and can lead to hypertension. Further, hypertension can lead to erectile dysfunction due to constricted blood flow due to the damaged arteries [2]. Conversely, erectile dysfunction can also serve as an early symptom for hypertension which is considered a silent killer.

High cholesterol: While most people feel erectile dysfunction is a problem of the male sex organ, largely it is vascular in nature, which means related to constriction of blood vessels. Cholesterol deposit in the blood vessels is one season for vascular diseases. In fact, cholesterol deposits affect the coronary arteries and penile arteries in the same manner. This, in turn, reduces blood flow to the penile area. Studies have shown that medications used to low cholesterol levels can also help suppress symptoms of erectile dysfunction [3].