Will you get spontaneous erections back after prostate cancer surgery?

If you’re pre-surgery and quite fond of your erections, then I bet this question is front of mind.

Every study I read quotes something along these lines…

20% to 90% will experience erectile dysfunction (ED) following prostate cancer surgery, regardless of the surgery type.

Helpful isn’t it? You are most welcome. It’s a lot of fun going to conferences hearing people say this like they’ve said something beyond the word ‘maybe’ in statistics

We say it like this in plain English : ‘well this one urologist with this one cross section of patients (who bothered answering the survey) over this one period of time measuring erectile function in this way got this one statistic… and here’s what another urologist got… and another one… but they’re all a bit different really… so I guess what this really reflects is that there’s more variables than we can shake a stick at so… maybe yes, maybe no?’

Again, you’re welcome for this helpful answer.

And if you’re in this situation, wondering what your roll of the dice will be, remember there are many variables you are in control of to maximise your chances of getting the best possible outcome for you. Start asking ‘how can I be on the best side of the odds’ rather than asking what side you’ll be on.

Victoria Cullen

I help men after prostate cancer treatment recover sexual function. I am a PhD researcher and sexual recovery consultant based in Melbourne, Australia.

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