Erectile dysfunction (ED) may develop due to a variety of causes. Physical factors such as heart or circulatory health, for instance, may affect your body’s ability to deliver blood to your penis.
Common causes of erectile dysfunction linked to physical reasons include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, hormonal imbalances, or thyroid disease. This also includes metabolic diseases that may impact blood circulation, like type 2 diabetes.
Oral medicines like antidepressants can also contribute to ED.
Meanwhile, psychological causes of ED involve factors such as guilt about having sex, performance anxiety, stress, or low self-esteem (among others) which may make it harder for you to be in the right frame of mind to produce and keep an erection.
However, unlike most other medical conditions and illnesses that can be diagnosed by established clinical tests, there isn’t a single standardized test that can confirm if you have ED or otherwise as well as why it’s developing.
When you speak to a healthcare provider about getting treatment for erectile dysfunction, they will ask for your medical history, determine any underlying causes, run physical exams to determine physical factors contributing to your ED, and determine the best approach to treating your ED and its symptoms.
But did you know you can do a self-test to determine whether you may have physical or psychological ED factors causing your ED? Let’s talk about the Nocturnal Penile Tumescence (NPT) test – one of the older ways to test for erectile dysfunction. We’ll also discuss other tests you might want to take for ED.
What is a Nocturnal Penile Tumescence (NPT) test?
One of the oldest – in fact, outdated – ways to test for erectile dysfunction is the nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) test. We must mention that since the NPT test is outdated, it may not be accurate at all.
The NPT test taken alone doesn’t confirm or deny that you have ED, or if a physical or psychological factor is responsible for it.
If you wish to self-test for ED using the NPT test, take the results as a mere indicator rather than the gospel truth. That said, if you suspect you might have ED, the best option to begin your treatment is to talk to your healthcare provider.
Now then, on to the NPT test! The NPT test tests your ability to produce erections while sleeping.
Why is it done when sleeping? That’s because all men with healthy erectile function will produce erections spontaneously while sleeping. This occurrence of erections is known as nocturnal penile tumescence in medical circles.
If your NPT test results indicate that you don’t produce erections when sleeping, this may show that your ED symptoms are caused by physical factors.
Getting ED medication has never been easier
Connect with a US-licensed healthcare provider for a FREE evaluation!
Free Express
Shipping
Discreet
Shipping
No Waiting
Rooms
How do you do the NPT test?
Before doing the NPT test, you’ll need to quit taking alcohol, tranquilizers, or antidepressants for 48 hours before doing the test.
Once you’ve completed your 48 hours, take a set of about four to six postage stamps. They usually will come in a strip.
Then, follow these instructions:
- Take your penis and carefully wrap the strip of stamps around your penile shaft. Take care not to get any pubic hair on the strip of stamps, because it can ruin the adhesive on them and have pubic hair sticking on your stamps.
- Ensure that the strip of stamps fits you nicely and snugly, but not uncomfortably. Don’t wrap your penis too tight.
- Ensure that you have enough stamps in the strip to be able to overlap one end over the other and seal the strip as one.
- Add a bit of moistness to the last stamp in the strip and stick it to the other end once the strip is wrapped around your penis.
- Then, once the adhesive on the overlapped stamp dries up, put your penis back inside your underwear. Take care not to damage the strip of stamps wrapped around your penis.
In general, this process should be repeated for up to 3 nights of normal, deep sleep to get a semi-“accurate” outcome.
Now, observe. If you produce an erection at night, the strip of stamps will tear at the perforated edges of each stamp along the strip.
If the strip of stamps remains intact and doesn’t tear over the course of three nights, you might have physical ED linked to medicine use or a health condition. However, these “findings” aren’t definitive. If the strip of stamps tears apart but you still have problems getting it up, then your ED may have psychological causes.
Are there other tests for erectile dysfunction?
If your NPT shows you might have ED, or if your physician believes you may be manifesting ED symptoms, they may put you through one or several tests to determine the cause. These are clinical tests that are done in hospitals, laboratories, or your healthcare provider’s office. Here are some other tests for diagnosing ED:
- Blood Tests. Your physician may have you take a blood test. Blood tests are done on your sample to determine if you have low T, hormonal imbalances, cardiovascular health concerns, diabetes, and liver and kidney function – all of which contribute to ED. Your healthcare professional may refer you to a specialist called a urologist for further clarity. Two types of blood tests are standard: a complete blood count (CBC) test that examines all the blood cells in your body, and a blood sugar test that checks how much glucose is in your bloodstream.
- Urinalysis. A urinalysis, or a urine test, may shed light on your hormone levels, diabetes, and kidney function. Urinalyses also examine glucose levels or urinary tract infections that may mimic symptoms of erectile dysfunction.
- Duplex Ultrasound Test. This test measures how blood flows through your arteries and blood vessels. It may expose atherosclerosis (the buildup of plaque in arterial walls), scarring of tissues, and other contributors to ED.
- Bulbocavernosus Reflex. This test examines how your penis and spinal cord segments respond to nerve stimulation. If you’ve had a history of spinal cord injury or abnormal nerve function due to trauma that’s causing your ED, your doctor may have you take this test.
- Penile Biothesiometry Test. A penile biothesiometry test examines how sensitive the nerves are in your penis, and how well they function. Like the bulbocavernosus reflex test, your physician may refer you to this test if you have nerve damage-related ED.
What other tests can you opt for to diagnose ED?
Other less common tests that can be used to diagnose erectile dysfunction include cavernosography and dynamic infusion cavernosometry. Both tests are used to detect blood loss arising from venous leaks from erectile penile tissue, arteriography, and vasoactive injections.
What treatments can you take for ED?
Getting ED medication has never been easier
Connect with a US-licensed healthcare provider for a FREE evaluation!
Free Express
Shipping
Discreet
Shipping
No Waiting
Rooms
Erectile dysfunction can be a bother to deal with. The good news is that it can almost always be treated. Here are some treatment approaches your healthcare provider may recommend:
- Erectile dysfunction drugs. The FDA has approved prescription medicines for ED, such as sildenafil (Viagra®), tadalafil (Cialis®), vardenafil (Levitra®), and avanafil (Stendra®). This class of drugs known as PDE5 inhibitors improves blood circulation in and around your penis, which may make it easier for you to produce and keep an erection long enough for pleasurable, satisfying sex.
- Testosterone replacement therapy. In some rare cases, erectile dysfunction may be caused by low testosterone. In those cases, testosterone replacement therapy might be suggested, in conjunction with the aforementioned ED medicines.
- Treating underlying medical conditions. If you have any underlying medical conditions that may exacerbate your ED, such as high blood pressure, your doctor may suggest treating the root cause of your ED. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to let your doctor know about your medical history and any medicines you’re presently taking so they know exactly which root cause to treat. Some health conditions to take note of in this case include hypertension, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol levels, Peyronie’s disease, or prostate cancer, just to name a few.
- Psychotherapy and counseling. If your ED is attributed to a psychological factor such as anxiety, depression, or stress, certain types of psychotherapy may promote good mental well-being and manage your ED.
- Making lifestyle changes. Sometimes, all you need to treat your ED by making simple lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, cutting down on alcohol, and exercising more often. All of these measures may help improve your erectile function, improve self-esteem, and reduce your ED symptoms.
- Penis implants. Penile implants are generally recommended for men who have exhausted all their treatment options to no avail. This treatment entails a penis implant is surgically implanted into the penis.
- Penile Injections. Alprostadil injections are a group of medicines injected into the penis base to induce an erection. They help boost blood flow within the penis just as ED drugs do.
The final word on testing for erectile dysfunction
This fact bears repeating: the nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) test is widely considered to be out of vogue and not completely accurate. However, it may help give you a rough idea of whether your ED is caused by psychological or physical causes.
Ultimately, if you suspect you have ED or are experiencing symptoms of what appears to be ED, consult a healthcare provider. Always remember that while ED can have you at your wit’s end, there is always a suitable treatment approach using options like ED drugs, counseling, changes to your diet, lifestyle, and habits, or a combination of treatment approaches.
