Can PE eventually cause impotence?

avocet8,
I too have had improvement in erectile function from PE. Harder erection and night-time and morning wood. I also rarely loose my erection after I orgasm.

Back to the point of the thread, I have read that once aging starts, elastic fibers are not repaired. Similar to how the elastic fibers in skin are not repaired, i.e. wrinkles, stretch marks. I agree that the individial cells get replaced but the way I understand it the fibers do not mend once they are stretched or broken.

When I have the time and inclination I will look again for this information and post it. I think I was doing a search with the string “dense connective tissue”.

Please don’t think that I am trying to put a scare into anyone. Only a few people on this forum research the science behind why PE works. I am one of them. If there are side effects to doing PE, I think it is important to get that information out also.

sheLovesIt

Here is the definition I read.

http://www.medi cinenet.com/mix … se/glossary.htm

Elastin: A protein that coil and recoils like a spring within the elastic fibers of connective tissue and accounts for the elasticity of structures such the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, intestines, tendons, and ligaments. Elastin functions in connective tissue together with collagen. Whereas elastin provides elasticity, collagen provides rigidity to connective tissue. Elastin is normally no longer made after puberty and aging begins. Also called elasticin.

I don’t disagree with that statement at all, SLI.

I do believe though that, although elastic fibers may not be repaired as we age, there are other factors in the equation of the tunica and of erectile function. If the tunica were so compromised by the loss of elastic fibers, older guys would not benefit from the drugs (V,C, L, and others) which very often do work so well. Clearly the tunica, even compromised, is still acting as an effective clamp against venous drain such that erections can be maintained.

It is possible, too, that PE (as well as frequent erections) may contribute to improved endothelial cell function which may (I’m thinking) compensate in some way for a gradual loss in elasticity?

I’m 20 so I can’t say at this point, but my erections seem to be even firmer and longer lasting than when I was eighteen. Might be a developmental thing though.

I don’t think it is true that the body does not produce elastin after puberty. I need to look into it more, but in wound healing especially, fibroblasts produce both collagen and elastin.

http://www.meds … warticle/459733

mravg,

I did a google search on elastin and puberty. There were quite a few hits.

Since elastin is relatively stable, do we need to make elastin
throughout our lives? No! Normally the body stops making elastin once
the body reaches maturity soon after puberty. A geneticist would say the
same thing by stating that “the gene for elastin is turned off just
after puberty.” In other words, once the body has made its elastin, it
will not make that protein any more.

This is just one paragraph from the referenced URL.

What I gather from this is that after puberty fibroblasts stop producing elastin.

I want to believe that there is plenty of elastin to make the erection mechanism function properly. I think that hanging and clamping attempt to stretch the collagen fibers when they are the main limiting factors for length and girth. When the elastin fibers are not the limiting factor they are preserved.

sheLovesIt

Interesting.

I also wonder about the actual structure of the tunica. The abstract describes elastic fibers, or collagen linked by elastic bridges, but could theses be made of something other than elastin?

mravg,

I am glad to see that you are interested in this.

Here’s an image of the tunica:

Same image in color:

There is a color code with these stains. I haven’t done a detailed study of this yet.

Here’s more on connective tissue:
Histology Learning System Portal

In particular:
Histology Learning System Portal

See the elastin "blob"? This makes me think that elastin is what creates the pressure to close the veins which limit veinous leakage and allow for erection.

Here is another one. Keep in mind that this is probably not the tunica but it does help to gain a visual understanding of the structures in general.
Histology Learning System Portal

sheLovesIt

Here is the best image I have ever seen of the cross section of the penis:
Histology Learning System Portal

If you click on the far right box it show the first TA image that I noted above.

sheLovesIt