Can Polycythemia Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

Posted on Wed, 30 Nov 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 30 Nov 2016 Answered on

Wed, 21 Dec 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I'm 34 years old and my hemoglobin came back at a 20 and my iron a 57 so my doctor started me donating yesterday with orders for 3 donations a week until my levels come down . Will this cause me to lose erectile function ?? Been going on a week and I'm starting to worry . Thanks

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (44 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
polycythemia?

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

removing excess blood is not supposed to cause erectile dysfunction. The intravascular volume is replenished very soon and your hematocrit will still be more than adequate to support proper oxygenation of your tissues. Perhaps only an immediate short-lived effect can be justified right after blood removal. Drinking something before and after blood removal may help to ameliorate these effects.

I hope it helps!
Kind Regards!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar