In this podcast episode, Dr. Anne Truong MD addresses a listener’s concern about loss of morning erections and softening of the penis and testicles. She frames erectile dysfunction (ED) not merely as a sexual issue but as an early warning sign for serious systemic conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and future cardiovascular disease. Dr. Truong outlines the essential diagnostic work‑up for men over 40, emphasizing a comprehensive blood panel (total and free testosterone, SHBG, glucose, lipid profile, liver and kidney function) and testicular ultrasound to rule out structural problems, cysts, or cancer. She explains testosterone’s role in penile tissue, prostate health, and overall male physiology, noting that low testosterone can contribute to softening and shrinkage but is not the sole cause of ED. Lifestyle factors—excess alcohol, smoking, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension—are identified as the most common, modifiable causes. She prescribes a Mediterranean‑style diet, regular aerobic exercise, adequate sleep, and stress‑reduction techniques as foundational interventions. For direct penile therapy, she recommends regular use of a penis pump (manual or electric) to maintain tissue health and prevent atrophy, and testicle massage to potentially boost natural testosterone production. The episode also covers testosterone replacement options (injections, pellets, gels) and cautions about over‑supplementation leading to elevated DHT, prostate enlargement, and hair loss, stressing the need for ongoing lab monitoring. Finally, Dr. Truong underscores the prognostic significance of ED: men with untreated ED have a markedly higher risk of heart attack within 5‑7 years, making early detection and treatment a life‑saving strategy. Resources and QR‑coded links to her website, a penis‑pump store, and Mediterranean‑diet guides are provided throughout.
Questions this episode answers
Dr. Truong explains that loss of morning erections and softening of the penis or testicles can indicate low testosterone, vascular issues, or underlying conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or even testicular pathology. She advises seeing a urologist, obtaining comprehensive blood work (total/free testosterone, SHBG, glucose, lipids, liver/kidney tests) and a testicular ultrasound to rule out cysts, cancer, or testicular claudication.
Chapters
If you've stopped waking up with morning wood or you're noticing an unusual softness down there, ignoring it could be the most dangerous thing you do for your heart. We're tackling a viewer's question about these exact symptoms, and here is the hard truth: erectile dysfunction isn't just a bedroom problem. It is often a massive flashing red light for hidden issues like diabetes, high cholesterol, and future heart attacks. Today, I am breaking down the specific blood test your urologist needs to run right now, the exact lifestyle changes that fix the root cause, and the daily physical routines, including testicle massages and penis pumps, that will help you restore your health and your confidence. Let's dive in.
This podcast is for you, the modern man. I'm Dr. Anne Truong MD, your host. I'm an intimate health medical doctor and bestselling author of the book Erectile Dysfunction Fix. I'll do a deep dive into sexual health and performance and how it affects men of all ages and backgrounds. So let's get started and be sure to visit my website at sexualhealthformenpodcast.com for more information and resources from the show. See you on the inside.
Hello, Doctor. I haven't had morning wood and my penis and testicles always feel soft. What does that mean in general? I'm 56 years old. Do I have to see a urologist to get my testosterone looked at? Well, the short answer to that, yes. If you are noticing that things are not well down there, you definitely need to go see a urologist or sexual health specialist doctor on getting blood work. Every man, guys over 40, get your blood work done. I can't tell you how many times I see men with ED and they don't know that they even have diabetes or they don't know that they have high cholesterol. All those conditions can add to your ED condition, okay? So if you're over 40, please go get blood work because if you have undiagnosed blood sugar or undiagnosed high cholesterol, it's really on you. Because it can be reversed. You just need to get blood work done. So yes, get your blood work done. Make sure you get your testosterone level checked, total testosterone, free testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, and get that checked along with the blood sugar, cholesterol, liver function test, kidney function test. So those are the main things. If you haven't had morning wood, and I don't know what you mean by penis and testicle feel soft, I don't know what that means. Compared to it was before, if the testicles are different texture, softer than it was before, a little firm, kind of like an egg texture, and you definitely need to go see a urologist and get an ultrasound check. Don't ignore it. Guys, know your body and be attuned to your body because if you feel that your testicle is softer than it was before, get it checked out. Okay? We are living in 2026. We're not living in 1906. So get it checked out. There are tests that can be done easily that can look at, view an image of the testicles, even the penis and everything to see if something's wrong with it. Sometimes it could be cancer, it could be cysts. So it could be several things. You need to get that checked out. And sometimes it could even be testicles, claudication, where the testicles are kind of shrinking and dying away. So you need to get that evaluated. Okay. And the penis as well. If you feel it more soft, it could be because soft because it has low testosterone. Because when testosterone level is low, it will affect the size of the penis as well as your erection because the penis muscle depends upon testosterone. It has a lot of testosterone receptors in the penis. And when testosterone levels low in your blood, it's going to affect the penis function as well. Definitely get checked, get examined by your doctor and get blood work done and see what's going on. You know, know your body. All you guys, all the men, I suggest any man over 20 or even 18 do testicle exam. Use your two fingers and just examine your testicles. Just go around, examine the borders of your testicle, examine the texture of your testicles even go up and the feel where the testicles connect to the piping that connect to the prostate. Because the testicles where testosterone is made, where your sperm is made, and then the sperm gets released and gets stored in the sac here that connected to the prostate. But then the testosterone that's made in your testicle goes to the bloodstream and that's how you get your testosterone, right? So your factory of your manhood is really from here, from the testicle here. And then in the penis, there's a lot of like receptors. They think of receptor like the hole of a key. And the testosterone is a key. And the hole of the key is the penis here. And testosterone will go in that hole and open up the door or open up more blood flow in the penis. So testosterone can affect the integrity of your penis as well, but it's not The main thing, low testosterone does not mean that it's going to cause ED. It may affect the function of your penis, but does that mean it will cause ED? Many factors can cause ED. I will tell you this, the most common cause of ED is really alcohol. I drink a lot of alcohol. Cigarette smoking, obesity, overweight, and then diabetes and high blood pressure. So it's really lifestyle factors, and that you can stop. From that. I know it's not easy, but you can definitely— you do have a choice on that. So the most common cause of ED is something that you can choose to stop, and then following by that is diabetes and being overweight. So the point that I'm trying to say is that if you're overweight, well, how do you lose weight? You eat better by following the Mediterranean diet and start exercising. That's how you lose weight. Definitely get checked and get your testosterone level checked. Testosterone is made here, It affects the penis, also affects the prostate. Remember I mentioned that low testosterone will also enlarge prostate, and also high testosterone will also irritate the prostate. If you're on a testosterone supplementation and the clinic give you like a dose that's very high and your level is above 1,000, well, that testosterone gets converted in your body to an inflammation testosterone called dihydrotestosterone or DHT and DHEA come from testosterone being too much and will cause enlargement of the prostate here as well. And then also it will cause hair loss. So there's a different receptor in the hair that is sensitive to DHT that will cause hair loss. So when you're on testosterone supplementation, just make sure that you get your blood work at least once or twice a year. To know what your levels are and don't try to manage it yourself. You need to follow up with a doctor when you're doing testosterone supplementation because high or low level can really mess your body up. Damon also followed up and said, well, shrinkage, having problem with shrinkage. Well, when you have low testosterone, you will notice that the penis will shrink a little bit because remember I said that the penis muscle has the receptor or the keyhole. Keyhole for the key. The testosterone's the key, and there's a keyhole that's on the penis. So if the penis may become softer or shrink a little bit, but not having an erection will also shrink the penis a little bit too. So if you have ED and you're not having erection because either you don't use a penis pump or you don't masturbate, because if you don't have an erection, your penis muscle's gonna actually start to atrophy or shrink., and then scar tissue was set into the muscle. So that way it's harder to get an erection next time. And then when you don't get an erection, the penis muscle not getting enough oxygen, not being expanded. In fact, in a way, you don't get an erection, you are putting yourself at risk for having more difficult erection in the future. And when you have more difficult erection in the future, it's kind of hard to get an erection, right? So for a man, if you have ED, you should pump You literally should pump every other day. Use a penis pump, and that penis pump will give you an erection. Leave the erection in the cylinder for 10 minutes, but pump to get an erection so that way you can exercise your penis. You don't exercise your penis, penis gonna shrink, and then the penis is gonna have scar tissue. So if you're not having intercourse 3 times a week, use a penis pump. Go to this link right here, ednomore.com, or scan the QR code here. To get either the manual penis pump that we have or the electric penis pump. It is literally taking your penis to the gym. It is a penis exerciser and taking your penis to the gym for that. Okay. So that's a good question about shrinkage. What can you do, Dave, for shrinkage? You can use the penis pump, get your testosterone levels checked, do testicle massage, testicle massage right here. Because when you do testicle massage, the massage itself will also increase blood flow. To the testicles. So you may make more testosterone naturally with testicle massage. Okay. Know your testosterone level, guys. Cause you can, your testosterone level is low, then you can get it supplemented through either testosterone injection or testosterone pellets. And now even testosterone orally, you can even get testosterone as a gel as well too. You can put it as a gel, but my favorite is testosterone pellets. And then followed by injection. Okay. So the key is know your level and that you do have choices and that how do you treat the root cause of ED is by following the Mediterranean diet and exercise, walking 3 times a week, 4 times a week, get adequate sleep, 7 hours of sleep at nighttime, sleep between 10 PM to 6 AM, and then stress reduction. And stress reduction, you can do that with box breathing, can do the things that you enjoy. Even sometimes when you exercise, it's also a stress relief as well. We are social beings. Be around with people that make you feel good and make you feel loved, and you give love as well. That is a stress reduction. So check out the Mediterranean diet. If you can find that at eat4noed.com, or you can check out the QR code here. And really, that is a secret to getting your sex life back. Takes time, take up to 3 to 6 months, but you're not only doing this to get your erection back. You're doing this really for your health because we know that men with ED, 5 to 7 years down the road, third, you're going to get a heart attack. And 5% is fatal, meaning you get a heart attack and you die from. So treating your ED now will actually save your life later on in the future. And be happy about that because women don't have feedback like that. We women notice more in symptoms of harder to get erection and dryness. To know that we are having ED. You guys know that you have ED, and it's really Mother Nature's way of saying, "Well, you have ED, in the future you're gonna have heart issues, and you may even have incidences of mortality, so do something about it now." So it's really your warning sign that you need to make changes to your diet and your exercise to be healthier. Or else you're not going to be able to have sexual performance. So it's Mother Nature's way of telling you, get back, be healthy, or else you're not gonna be able to perform. Okay, Modern Man, if you're struggling with weak erection, low energy, the food you eat could be the big part of the problem. One of the best research-backed ways to boost circulation, support healthy testosterone, and improves sexual performance is the Mediterranean diet. It's packed with food that open up your blood vessel, lower inflammation, and fuel your hormone naturally. I've seen men notice real improvement in both energy and erection within weeks when they shift to this style of eating. So, check out the Mediterranean diet link right here below and get that as soon as you can. Stronger testosterone, and better erection.
Thanks for listening to the Sexual Health for Men podcast. If you love this episode, then please take a screenshot on your phone and post it on Facebook, Instagram, or wherever you post, and be sure to tag me and let me know why you like this episode and what you'd like to hear in the future. That will help me know what's great for you, and I would love to give you the most incredible free gift designed to help you improve performance, quickly. Go to my website at sexualhealthformenpodcast.com to get the book The Five Common Costly Mistakes Men Make When Facing ED. I would appreciate if you subscribe, leave a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen, and just know that you can have sexual vitality for life. I appreciate you. Until next time.
