When you think of erectile dysfunction and chronic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are often what comes to mind. But did you know that liver issues can also make you struggle to get an erection? This article delves into the connection of the liver and penis!
Liver and Erections
The liver is the largest internal organ in the body, serving several crucial functions that affect your erection. It removes toxins from your blood and processes nutrients to keep you healthy. It’s also in charge of regulating your fat (triglycerides) and cholesterol levels. This means that your liver protects you from developing cholesterol plaque, which can lead to atherosclerosis and hardened blood vessels that inhibit blood flow to your penis.
Your liver is also involved in maintaining your blood sugar levels. While the insulin comes from the pancreas, your liver is what stores excess sugar as glycogen to prevent you from having a blood sugar spike. This protects you from developing diabetes due to high blood sugar and provides energy later for strenuous activities. Diabetes can damage your penile nerves and blood vessels, resulting in erectile dysfunction.
Not only is the liver an organ, it’s also a gland, which means it secretes substances and hormones that your body needs. An example of this is bile, which is essential for digesting food. Bile is what breaks down fat and regulates your stomach acidity. It’s also what eliminates excess cholesterol and bilirubin, a waste from red blood cells’ breakdown. Speaking of hormones, the liver also affects testosterone metabolism. Any issues with the liver can lead to decreased testosterone and sexual dysfunctions.
Liver Diseases Related to Erectile Dysfunction
Since the liver affects your penis in several ways, it isn’t surprising that liver problems can lead to erectile dysfunction. However, there are various liver diseases that you can get, with differing causes. Here are the liver diseases that can weaken your erection:
Viral Hepatitis
Hepatitis means that your liver is experiencing inflammation. Viral hepatitis means that the cause of the inflammation is a virus, which can be Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis A and E are obtained from consuming food or water that’s contaminated with infected stool. It’s common in third world nations and Africa. Meanwhile, Hepatitis B and C are contracted from having unprotected sex or sharing needles. You get Hepatitis D if your hepatitis has advanced enough. Men with hepatitis B and C experience high rates of erectile dysfunction.
Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Officially called Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease, the liver experiences inflammation due to accumulated fat. This means the inflammation is not because of a virus or alcohol consumption. It’s important to distinguish because the cause would most likely be metabolic. Someone with fatty liver would either (1) be obese, (2) have high cholesterol, (3) high blood sugar, (4) high triglycerides (fats), or (5) high blood pressure. Men with fatty liver often develop erectile issues.
Alcohol-associated Liver Disease
Most liver damage is often due to excess consumption of alcohol. A man doesn’t need to have alcohol use disorder or alcohol addiction to be in danger of contracting alcohol-associated liver disease. Even binge-drinking during special occasions like birthdays or holidays is enough to trigger inflammation in the liver. Men with this condition often have erectile dysfunction, not only because alcohol can individually cause both diseases, but also because alcohol-associated liver diseases can lead to erectile dysfunction.
Liver Cancer
Liver cancer is another condition that can lead to erectile dysfunction. As mentioned before, any irregularity in the liver can wreck key functions that are essential for the erectile process and your overall health. Liver cancer is also associated with testosterone deficiency. Not only does testosterone help you form strong erections, lacking this hormone would raise your risk of infertility and, potentially, premature ejaculation. Liver cancer is usually triggered by another type of cancer, but abnormal cell growth can also start in the liver itself, as in the case of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Cholangitis
Cholangitis is the inflammation of the bile ducts, the tube that bile passes through to get from the liver to your gall bladder. Even if the problem is with the bile duct, bile can get stuck on the liver, causing inflammation and damaging it. Causes of cholangitis range from viruses, gallstones, and autoimmune disorders. Primary sclerosing cholangitis, which is more common in men, happens because the bile duct is scarred from being attacked by the immune system. Aside from erectile dysfunction, this can trigger liver cancer or liver failure, which means patients may need a transplant.
Risk Factors of Liver Disease and Erectile Dysfunction
Apart from the bidirectional relationship between the liver and your erectile system, they share several triggers. Here are the risk factors that can cause both liver disease and erectile dysfunction:
- STDs – Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) cause inflammation on the reproductive organs, which is why men tend to get lower testosterone or sexual dysfunction later. Apart from viral hepatitis, complications from syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia can sometimes damage the liver.
- Alcohol and Cigarettes – Toxins from alcohol and smoking can cause chronic inflammation, all of which can harm your erections and liver. The liver is especially susceptible because it’s on the frontline due to its role of cleansing toxins. Sexual functions can also get hit because of the hormonal imbalance that the harmful chemicals may trigger.
- Fatty and Salty Foods – Consuming too much fatty foods can cause your triglycerides and cholesterol levels to spike because their food sources are usually rich in both. In particular, processed food contains trans fat and can cause your LDL cholesterol to surge. Both these can hurt your liver and erection.
- High Blood Pressure – Just like any other organs and your penis, the liver also has blood vessels. This means it can also experience complications arising from high blood pressure. Interestingly, liver scarring can also trigger high blood pressure, as in the case of hypertension in your portal veins, which carry blood to your liver.
- High Blood Sugar – Consistent elevated sugar levels can eventually lead to type 2 diabetes. Most men with diabetes tend to develop erectile dysfunction as a symptom, but it can also be a sign of liver damage. The liver can get overworked and become fatty if there’s too much sugar to convert to glycogen.
- Metabolic Syndrome – While the metabolic syndrome is strongly associated with fatty liver, it’s also related to other chronic diseases that trigger both liver damage and erectile dysfunction. Example of these conditions are cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and kidney disease.
Stages of Chronic Liver Disease
Ever noticed that liver diseases tend to repeat the same terminologies at the end of their names? This is because liver disease has stages, and these are consistent regardless of what type of problem is happening. Here’s how liver damage progresses:
- Hepatitis – It all starts with inflammation. Inflammation is a natural response of the body. But just like stress, it starts to cause damage if it goes on for too long or gets triggered frequently.
- Fibrosis – As the liver gets damaged, it may eventually start to have scars in place of the healthy tissue. Damage is still reversible during fibrosis since the liver has the capacity to regenerate.
- Cirrhosis – Once you see the term “cirrhosis,” it means that the scarring has become widespread and you’re nearing the end-stage of whatever liver disease you have. This is where symptoms and comorbid diseases start to become evident. Around two thirds of men with liver cirrhosis have erectile dysfunction.
- Liver Failure – Once there’s too much damage or scars, there won’t be enough functional cells for the liver to do its job. At this stage, the liver can no longer regenerate. A liver transplant is the only way to recover. Just like with cirrhosis, patients also tend to suffer from erectile difficulties at this stage.
Liver Care for Stronger Erectile Health
So, what can you do to prevent or try to reverse liver disease? Here are some best practices that protect your liver and keep your penis happy at the same time:
- Lessen Alcohol Intake – Some studies show that drinking alcohol moderately can have health benefits. So why do you often get told to avoid alcohol as a tip? Alcoholic beverages are varied. Some liquors have a higher alcohol percentage. The key is to be mindful of how much alcohol is in your system. Keep it at a minimum.
- Avoid Trans Fat and UPFs – Certain cooking oils add trans fat to your diet when you fry any kind of food. Ultra-processed foods like canned and instant food would be an easy way to flood your body with toxic trans fat. Stick to whole foods and preferably use olive oil.
- Cut Off Smoking – Cigarettes contain hundreds of harmful chemicals and are carcinogenic. You aren’t only looking at potential liver damage and erectile dysfunction. You can get all sorts of diseases that are much deadlier. Unlike drinking, smoking has no medical benefit.
- Get Vaccinated for STDs – Don’t just get vaccinated for hepatitis A and B. Get whatever vaccines you can get for other STDs since they will mess with your reproductive health and cause damage to other organs as a complication.
- Have Sex Responsibly – Vaccinations aside, a great way to dodge STDs is to always wear a condom. Of course, it’s not foolproof. It’s best to stick with one partner who is preferably tested and deemed clean of any STDs. Make sure to get regularly tested for STDs yourself.
- Keep a Healthy Weight – Excess weight means you probably either have a lot of sugar or fats. Both are bad for your liver and your erectile health. Obesity, whether through your BMI or abdominal, has also been associated with chronic inflammation. Both are associated with developing erectile problems.
- Don’t Neglect Your Sleep – Being constantly sleep-deprived means having throttled testosterone levels and enhanced cortisol, the stress hormone. This means you’re likely to experience inflammation and oxidative stress, which can damage both the liver and penis. Get at least 7 hours of sleep regularly through good sleep hygiene.
Conclusion
If you’re suspecting liver damage, it’s best to consult a doctor to get tested. Regardless of whether you have liver disease or not, you can get started on liver care right now. The liver is a forgiving organ unless you push it too far. And if you’re still experiencing erectile issues, you may have another chronic disease. Book an appointment with us so our doctors can examine you ASAP.
