LivingWell Integrative Healthcare

Is Thyroid Disease Causing Your Erectile Dysfunction?

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By: Karen Barrow,


Medically Reviewed On: Tuesday, October 10, 2006

The
potential causes of erectile dysfunction are many and vary widely from
heart disease to emotional disorders, but researchers are finding that
one common cause is often overlooked.

There seems to be strong connection between various thyroid
disorders and erectile dysfunction. Since thyroid disease can affect as
many as one in ten men over the age of 60, this may mean that many of
those dealing with erectile dysfunction and its related problems may
have a reasonably simple disease to treat.

The thyroid is a small gland located near the bottom of the neck.
And while it is tiny, it secretes various hormones that have some level
of control over many organs of the body.

Two of the most common thyroid disorders found in men are
hyperthyroidism, or when the thyroid is over productive, and
hypothyroidism, when the thyroid is under productive. Both conditions
may have some connection to erectile dysfunction.

“Erectile dysfunction is a frequent finding in patients affected by
thyroid disease, be it patients with hypothyroidism or
hyperthyroidism,” writes Dr. A. Veronelli in the International Journal of Impotence Research.

In one recent study, researchers from the University of Modena,
Italy, looked at almost 50 adult men who had hyperthyroidism or
hypothyroidism. Each man was given a questionnaire to answer about
their sexual function and were then asked more directly about erectile
dysfunction and related problems by a doctor.

Ultimately,
it was determined that over 63 percent of the men with hypothyroidism
were diagnosed with low sexual desire, premature ejaculation and
delayed ejaculation. Among the men with hyperthyroidism, 50 percent
were diagnosed with premature ejaculation, 17 percent with low sexual
desire and 15 percent with erectile dysfunction.

All of the men in the study were then treated for their thyroid
disease. Among the men with hypothyroidism, the incidence of premature
ejaculation dropped from 50 percent to 15 percent. And the low sexual
desire and delayed ejaculation disappeared in most of the men.

Once the men with hyperthyroidism were treated, almost all saw their symptoms of erectile dysfunction disappear.

“We demonstrated for the first time that specific sexual disorders
occur frequently in males with hypo- and hyper- thyroid function and
that most of these symptoms revert promptly as [the thyroid disease is
treated],” write the study authors in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The relationship between the thyroid and erectile dysfunction is not
yet clear, but since thyroid diseases, as well as erectile dysfunction,
are much more common among men over 60, these findings suggest that
aging may not play as big a role as previously believed.

In fact, a related study by Veronelli and colleagues, compared the
rates of erectile dysfunction among healthy, older men and those with
diabetes or a thyroid disease. While diabetes was more often the cause
of erectile dysfunction than thyroid disease, this study did determine
that thyroid problems are more often the cause of sexual dysfunction
than simple aging.

“Thyroid problems are more important than the aging process,” in
trying to diagnose the cause of erectile dysfunction, write the
authors.