IJIR: Semaglutide increases risk of erectile dysfunction in non-diabetic obese men, study finds

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, USA have found that the weight-loss drug semaglutide increases the risk of erectile dysfunction in non-diabetic men. The results of the study were published in IJIR: In Your Sexual Medicine Journal.

Men aged 18-50, who had confirmed obesity and had a high body mass index exceeding 30, participated in the study. These people did not have diabetes.

Researchers tried to find out what effect semaglutide has on sexual function. The drug helps control hunger by mimicking the action of a hormone produced by the body when food enters the stomach.

The researchers found that 1.47 percent of study participants who were prescribed semaglutide were diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. Among volunteers—who did not take semaglutide—in the control group, the prevalence of erectile dysfunction was 0.32 percent. It was also found that in 1.53 percent of cases, after the appointment of semaglutide, men were diagnosed with testosterone—i.e. the male sex hormone—deficiency. In the control group, that index was 0.80 percent.

Researchers have hypothesized that erectile dysfunction may be caused by the drug's ability to relax smooth muscles. It is a specific, smooth muscle tissue that is found mainly in the walls of the genitals and blood vessels, including the vascular apparatus responsible for erection.

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