I.M.120 Helping you to BE YOUR BEST SELF

What is the role of weight loss in treating sexual and erectile dysfunction? Sexual self-esteem is a critical element in healthy human sexuality. Sexual self esteem is a capacity to feel desirable to a potential sexual partner. Ultimately this is an internal psychological state.

A person can have a high degree of sexual self-esteem regardless of their body weight or other physical attributes. However for many patients sexual self-esteem is enhanced by achieving a body weight that they perceive as making them more physically desirable to their partner. At I.M.120 we would describe this type of weight loss objective as being medically relevant even if the body mass index does that indicate that they are at risk for other medical complications. In some cases a woman may have experienced postpartum weight gain. An extra 20 or 30 pounds may not put her in the at risk category medically, but could significantly affect her sexual self-esteem as well as diminish her general state of well-being. In cases like this, medically supervised weight-loss is appropriate.

In addition to the psychological effect on men and women, there's a direct physical effect. In some men excess weight gain can lead to erectile dysfunction. This can be caused by a combination of diminished sexual self-esteem as well as a decrease in testosterone levels. Fat cells convert testosterone into estrogen thereby decreasing testosterone levels and increasing estrogen levels. This effect can diminish a man's sex drive as well as diminish his erections. In some cases it can even prevent orgasm. In women, the same conversion occurs. While not as widely recognized, healthy testosterone levels are central to a woman's's ability to respond sexually. Changes in hormone levels can lead to decreased sex drive and decreased ability to achieve orgasm. In some cases both in women and men the fat pad can interfere with access to the penis or clitoris making stimulation more difficult while engaging in foreplay.

At I.M.120 we are sensitive to these issues and can help our patients achieve a healthy sex life through healthy living and medically directed weight loss.

-Dr. Stephen Petteruti