Why Can't I Stay Hard After an Erection | Doctor Explains
23 Sept 2025 · 11 min
Dr. Anne Truong MD, a sexual medicine specialist, explains why men lose erections and what actually works to fix it. She covers the physical and lifestyle causes, from blood flow problems to stress, and walks through evidence-based steps to improve sexual performance.
This podcast is for you. The Modern Man I'm Dr. Anne Truong, your host. I'm an intimate health medical doctor and best selling 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@sexualhealthformenpodcast.com for more information and resources from the show. See you on the inside.
Foreign hello there modern man. Have you ever had an erection but lost it halfway through? You're not alone. Millions of men struggle to stay hard. It is one of the most common sexual health concern I see in my practice. I'm Dr. Anne Truong. I treated over 7,000 men with ED. I'm a sexual medicine specialist. So let me tell you, this does not mean you're broken, weak or even past your prime. It usually means something in your body or in your mind or what you do with your life is interfering with blood flow or performance. And the good news? Most of the time, it can be fixed. In this video I'll explain the top reason men can't stay hard after getting an erection. Either from stress or hormone or circulation or even bad habits. And I'll give you practical evidence based steps that you can start today to improve your erection. So if you ever wonder why can't I stay hard? Stay tuned. By the end of this video you'll understand exactly what's happening in your body and and what you can do about it. So why does erection fade? Well, there are five big causes that most men don't realize. Number one, blood flow problem. That means that the arteries or the blood vessels that come from your heart that go down to your manhood is narrow. It's not big enough for the blood to flow through to the penis. So it's either from poor circulation, from high blood pressure, high cholesterol or diabetes. Number two, hormonal imbalances. It could be you have low testosterone or even thyroid. Either low or high thyroid or hyperthyroidism, which is important because the penis need testosterone in order for it to get rigid or firm. Number three, it could even be stress because performance anxiety or stress. When you're stressed, the blood doesn't flow down to your penis, it flows elsewhere. The quick thing to know that sometimes your stress can really take away that erection. Number four is your lifestyle. Smoking not good. Too much alcohol is not good. Lack of sleep and poor diet. When I say poor diet, I mean junk food diet, fast food diet. These can be fixable. Number five is porn. And also setting unrealistic expectations. Not all men need to be 8 inches or 9 inches. Not all men have to be rock hard all the time. Do you know that the average penis size is actually only five and a half inches erect and four and three quarter in circumference. That's average. But 87% of men think that they're smaller than they are. So I get it. Sometimes you think that bigger is better, but not necessarily functional is better. So if you ever wonder why erection don't last, chances are it's one of the mix of these causes that I just talked about. So let's talk about what you can do about this. Number one, you want to improve your circulation like I talk about how to improve your circulation. Follow a Mediterranean diet. Check the link right here where I give you the Mediterranean diet that you can follow. Number two, exercise. And I'm not talking about running a marathon or doing triathlon. I'm talking about moving, walking up and down the stairs and just doing house chores about 30 minutes, three to four times a week. That's it. The time that you're sitting on your phone scrolling through social media, you could be walking, you could be going up and down the stairs and doing just chores around the house. And then enough hydration, you should be drinking enough water in ounces, 2/3 of your weight, let's say 200 pounds, you should be drinking 2/3 of your weight in ounces or about like 140 ounces. Number two, how to improve your hormones. I talked about low testosterone, but now you can get blood tests for testosterone. Make sure you get total testosterone and free testosterone. And also the blood work called shbg, the sex hormone binding globulin on the lab. Then you can truly know what your testosterone level is. You should get your thyroid checked. Whether you have low thyroid or high thyroid. Thyroid test can be measured by a test called thyroid stimulating hormone tsh. And you should get your prolactin level checked. High prolactin level is not good. It will throw off your testosterone level. Number three is stress management mindset. I talked about many times about breathing. Doing box breathing for five minutes can really decrease your heart rate for 24 hours. And mindset thinking about the positive. Don't think about the outcome. Think about the intimacy. Thinking about pleasing your partner. And don't get stressed out about because the more you get stressed out about it and the more you think about why you need to have a rigid heart direction, you won't. So it's almost like the opposite. Okay, so that is the best advice I can give you about. So check out this video that I have on breathing on how it can really help with your stress management. Number four, lifestyle treat. So moderate alcohol, no more than 14 drinks a week. If you're smoking, stop smoking because smoking is a sure way to stop your erection and then also optimize your sleep. Sleep at least seven hours at nighttime for or if you're a night shift worker, then sleep during the daytime and then number four, get medical help. When you have E.D. that actually bothers you. And if you're having problem staying hard on a consistent basis, that bothers you. Go get blood work and review with your doctor so that way your doctor can review the medication with you and other available treatment. So listen, you don't need a miracle pill. You just need to know that you have ED and what are the options you can do. Now the earlier you start, the better you're going to be in the long run. Think of it like an infected wound. If you have an infection in your wound, the earlier you treat it, it's going to go away. It's the same thing with your ED guys. So if you have ed, the earlier you realize you have ed, you should stop taking Viagra Cialis. That's just padding the problem. That's just band aiding the problem. It's like you have an infected wound and it's been oozing out pus. You just put a band aid on there hoping it will go away. It will not go away. You don't treat the cause of the problem. And I just identify things that you can do that doesn't cost you more money than just changing your diet, your exercise routine, your sleep and just adding breathing. And just get your blood work done guys. Okay, so I'm giving you the roadmap on how to start this. Losing erection doesn't mean the end of your sex life. There are options. I've helped over 7,000 men restore function by addressing the root cause and then treating with themselves and also technology that restore blood flow and boosting the penis function again. Now with the right approach, you can improve function within weeks to month. So which cause do you think affect you the most? Drop it in the comment. I tend to read it all the time. And if you want more science back men's health advice, hit subscribe and get notifications. It will mean the world to me if you do. And check out this playlist here. Erectile dysfunction recovery for more natural fixes and treatment option. Also you do not have to suffer with ed. There are options. Check out our store for the penis pump and supplement that can help boost your function again. Check it out@ednomore.com and know that we're here for you. Let me know you have any question. I will see you in the next episode. Okay modern man, you are not alone and you don't have to suffer anymore. ED can feel isolating, frustrating and even defeating. The endless guessing, the quiet shame, the weight of not feeling like yourself. It's exhausting. But here's the truth. You are not broken. You are not alone. And you don't have to figure this out alone anymore. The GET Would now Boost program is your step by step path to sexual confidence and restoration. No more suffering in silence. No more trial and error. Just real solution, real result and the confidence you deserve. It's time to take back your power on your term. Let's get this journey started together. Check out the course@getwoodnow.com I'll see you there.
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 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 for you gift design to help you improve performance quickly. Go to my website@sexualhealthformenpodcast.com to get the book the Five Common Costly Mistakes Men Make When Facing Ed. I would appreciate it. 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.
