EMBARRASSING AILMENTS THAT NEED URGENT ATTENTION

to anyone, but is common in those with the blood disorder sickle cell anaemia. 'If you have an erection for four hours or more, then it is a medical emergency and you should go to A&E,’ says Dr Minhas. With a normal erection, the veins that drain blood from the penis narrow and cause blood to stay in the area, which makes the penis stiffen. After the veins relax and open, the penis becomes flaccid again. In most cases of priapism, these veins do not relax after orgasm. If the condition is not treated after four hours, it can lead to scarring and permanent erectile dysfunction. ‘This is because while blood is trapped in the penis, the muscles in this area aren’t receiving any oxygen, so they start to die,’ explains Dr Minhas.

At A&E, the first line of treatment is to take out some of the blood with a needle.

If that doesn’t work, an injection is used to try to relax the muscle of the penis.

Dr Minhas adds: ‘There are things you can try before going to A&E, such as placing an ice pack on the area or walking around to try to move the blood flow elsewhere, but these usually don’t work.’

WHILE it’s easy to snigger, there are common sex-related problems that can require emergency treatment.‘Not infrequently, men come to A&E who have injured themselves during sexual intercourse,’ says Dr Chris Moulton, vice-president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.‘One of the most common is a torn frenulum, an injury to the fold of the tissue at the end of the penis. It usually happens in young men with a tight band of skin in this area. The tear can bleed quite vigorously, because there is an artery in the frenulum.’ He advises trying to stem the bleeding with pressure using a tissue for ten to 15 minutes. If this doesn’t help, go to A&E. Doctors can cauterise the torn blood vessels. Priapism is a painful erection that fails to subside and can cause permanent damage if not treated quickly, says Suks Minhas, a consultant andrologist at Imperial College NHS Trust. It can happen