Patient's question:
Male, 42 years old, recently feeling that his physical strength has declined significantly, especially in terms of sexual performance. His sexual endurance has shortened, and he often experiences lower back pain, leg weakness, and overall fatigue before finishing. He wants to ask if quitting smoking can improve his sexual function.Doctor's answer:
Current studies have shown that smoking is one of the risk factors contributing to male erectile dysfunction. Smoking significantly increases the likelihood of men experiencing recurrent erectile dysfunction. Therefore, quitting smoking early has a positive effect on stabilizing male sexual function. Smoking may cause the contraction of smooth muscle in the corpora cavernosa of the penis, leading to vasoconstriction that interferes with penile blood flow and consequently affects erectile function. Moreover, the impact of smoking on erectile function is positively correlated with the amount smoked. In other words, the greater the amount of smoking, the greater the harm to erectile function. Men with sexual function issues are advised to quit smoking as soon as possible.