Am I a Candidate For Penile Implants?

If you’re not able to perform sexually due to aging or an injury, you may be suffering both physically and mentally. Sex is a normal and happy expression of intimacy that brings both partners great pleasure. If you’re missing out on sex, you’re missing out on life.

For more than three decades, Dr. John Bertini and Dr. James Harris of Gulf Coast Urology have successfully treated men who suffer from erectile dysfunction (ED) with safe, effective penile implants. At our offices in Houston and Nassau Bay, Texas, our expert urologists offer men a choice of two types of penile implants. Here’s how they work.

Pump it up

The first penile implant option to resolve ED -- and our most popular choice -- is an inflatable implant that’s attached to a pump that your urologist places in your scrotum. Discreetly and easily, you can create a natural-looking erection as part of your foreplay process. Inflatable penile implants have several components:

Two cylinders

Your doctor places each hollow cylinder next to the area in your penis that would normally engorge with blood when you’re sexually excited. When you’re ready for intercourse, the pump in your scrotum forces fluid from a reservoir into the cylinders. The cylinders engorge with the fluid so that your penis becomes stiff and erect.

After intercourse, you simply release the fluid. It drains back into the reservoir.

Pump-and-release valve

The pump and release valve are located in your scrotum, for easy access. You can request a model that has the reservoir attached to the pump, so that a separate component doesn’t need to be placed in your abdomen.

Fluid-filled reservoir

In some models of an inflatable implant, your doctor places a fluid-filled reservoir in your abdominal cavity, and attaches it to the pump in your scrotum. Your doctor helps you choose which model is best for your situation.

Permanently “pumped”

You might prefer a type of penile implant that’s made of semi-rigid, bendable rods. Each rod is segmented and has a spring on the ends.

Your doctor places these rods in your penis. You bend the rods upward when you want to have sex, then downward for concealment, once you’re finished.

Your penis always maintains an erect state. You can also request rods that are longer than your shaft to create a larger-sized penis.

The implants require simple surgical procedures

Both types of penile implants require surgery that our doctors perform while you’re under general anesthesia. Your doctor only needs to make one or two small incisions, through which he inserts the implants. After closing the incision, your doctor and your medical team monitor your condition until you're ready to go home.

In most instances, you won’t need to stay overnight at the medical facility. You’ll feel bruised and sore for about 6-7 weeks after your procedure. After that time, you’re free to engage in sexual activity.

To find out which penile implant is best for you, call us at the Gulf Coast Urology office nearest you to set up a consultation. You can also reach out to us with our online contact form.