Penis Health, Erections and Ejaculations with Dr Anand Patel

Listen to "Penis Health, Erections and Ejaculations with Dr Anand Patel".

In this episode, Hannah is joined by Dr Anand Patel, who is a doctor specialising in sexual function. Anand discusses his experience as a biology teacher and with teaching sex ed in school as well as why it’s important for more GPs to have training around sexual health. He and Hannah talk about men’s and people with penises’ sexual function, from early ejaculation to delayed ejaculation and the physical and psychological causes of erectile dysfunction. Finally, Hannah and Anand discuss viagra, performance anxiety, and some “dick housekeeping”.

Read the episode transcript here!

SHOW NOTES

What we chat about…

Keeping your mental health up in lockdown
Why Dr Anand became a sex doctor and what interested him about the subject
Dr Anand’s time teaching sex ed as a biology teacher 20 years ago and what he would do differently now
When should people be taught about anal sex?
The sexual health training as part of becoming a GP
Whether Dr Anand thinks the GP training around sexual health and sexual function has improved in the last 10 or 15 years
Helping people feel more comfortable talking to their doctors about sex
At what point does something count as a dysfunction?
What is premature ejaculation?
Why premature ejaculation is completely normal
How anxiety can affect an erection
Laughter during sex
The average length of time between entering a vagina and ejaculating
What are some other common issues that men and people with penises come to see Dr Anand about?
“Dick housekeeping”: why night time and early morning erections are important and what they actually mean
How much of come is actually sperm
Orgasm and ejaculation are not the same thing
Physical causes of erectile dysfunction
How to deal with erectile dysfunction as the partner? (30:05)
Tips for getting my husband to get a vasectomy? He’s afraid of low testosterone. (32:35)
I love to pleasure. My wife does nothing to me. She’ll come like three or four times. I’m lucky if I come at all. Any advice? / I’m in my mid-forties. My sexual desire is one tenth of what it was in my twenties. Should I be worried? (34:55)
How common is delayed ejaculation and how can I make it easier on myself and my boyfriend? (39:03)
“Death grip” - only being able to come with a certain kind of stimulation that you’re used to from masturbating
When is use of Viagra appropriate and when is it not? (44:25)

USEFUL LINKS

NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/
Sexual Advice Association and Smart SAA app: https://sexualadviceassociation.co.uk/
The Pleasure Podcast: https://thepleasurepodcast.com/
Doing It episode with Dr Karen Gurney: https://doingitpodcast.co.uk/episodes/drkarengurney

MORE ABOUT DR ANAND PATEL

I’m a doctor specialising in sexual function, working with health care professionals and the public to challenge views, reduce embarrassment and improve understanding.

I’m a GP based in inner London and work at the Centre for Men’s Health on Harley Street treating sexual dysfunction and testosterone deficiency. I am a committee member of the British Society for Sexual Medicine and secretary to the Primary Care Testosterone Advisory Group. I’ve decoded sexual desires on Channel 5’s My Secret Sex Fantasy and most recently I co-host The Pleasure Podcast with Naomi Sheldon, focusing on sex, relationships and intimacy.

I train doctors to think about sexual function as both symptom and health issue affecting people physically and psychologically, and hopefully give them the tools to talk about sex openly and supportively with patients. I don’t just talk about why sexual problems can happen, but what effect they can have and how we can practically support people into making positive changes - this is often where sex toys comes in!

My background as a school teacher and head of PSHE means I recognise some of the challenges young people face these days with the impact of social media, online dating and pornography changing sexual expectations and behaviours. I’m also working with MaSC (Men and Social Conditions) to create up a porn addiction workshop for those gay men who have been affected by pornography and social media, reducing the pleasure they take in sex themselves and the negative view they have of their bodies and the unattainable images of others.

Basically I really want people to enjoy their bodies without shame and maintain healthy sexual relationships!