Can UTI Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

Urinating is one of the main ways the body removes waste, and going to the bathroom often might indicate you’re drinking enough water. However, frequent urination can also be a sign of a problem, like a urinary tract infection (UTI).

If you have a UTI (or think you might have one), you may be asking yourself, Can UTIs cause erectile dysfunction (ED) or affect my sex life in any way?

The short answer is that a urinary tract infection isn’t a typical cause of erectile dysfunction. But research shows there may be a connection between these two conditions.

If you’re dealing with ED and making more trips to the bathroom lately, keep reading to explore the connection. We’ll also go over what you can do to treat and potentially prevent both conditions.

Many factors — including common health conditions like UTIs and certain habits and lifestyle factors — can cause lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) like frequent urination.

UTIs are much more common in women — about 60 percent of women experience at least one in their lifetime. But around 12 percent of men will also have a UTI at some point.

Some health conditions that can cause lower urinary tract symptoms, like more trips to the bathroom, include:

• Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)

• Urinary tract infections

• Other kidney and urinary tract disorders

• Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Get details below.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

BPH (an enlarged prostate gland) is a common medical condition. It often occurs in middle-aged and older men.

As the prostate grows, it may press on the urethra, thicken the bladder wall, and weaken the bladder. This can cause urinary retention, urgent or frequent urination, urinary incontinence, and other issues.

Urinary Tract Infections

Infections can develop in several places inside the urinary tract, including the bladder, kidneys, ureters, and urethra — the tube that empties urine from the penis. But most UTIs develop when bacteria enter the urethra.

UTIs can affect urination in various ways, like causing: 

• Frequent or painful urine flow

• Bloody urine or other urine abnormalities

• A burning sensation when you pee

If you have a urinary tract infection, you may feel like you need to pee even if your bladder is empty.

UTI vs. STI

Some sexually transmitted infections (STIs) can feel similar to UTIs, with overlapping symptoms like burning during urination.

However, the causes are different. STIs are spread through sexual contact, while UTIs typically result from bacteria entering the urinary tract. Discharge from the penis may point to an STI, while a strong urge to urinate even when your bladder is empty is more common with a UTI.

If you think you might have an STI, contact your healthcare provider and get tested.

Other Kidney and Urinary Tract Disorders

Other disorders affecting the kidneys and urinary tract — such as kidney stones or overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome — may cause bladder control problems. This includes the need to urinate more frequently than normal.

Other medical conditions and habits that may affect your need to urinate include:

• Drinking alcohol

• Using recreational drugs

• Poorly managed diabetes

• High cholesterol

• Nerve damage

• Obesity

• Smoking

But is there a specific connection between an overactive bladder and erectile dysfunction? Can one cause the other? Keep scrolling for insight.

Can urinary problems cause erectile dysfunction? Neither frequent urination nor UTIs cause ED or other sexual function issues on their own.

However, some of the medical conditions mentioned above that may make you urinate often are associated with a higher risk of developing erectile dysfunction.

Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms and ED

For example, a 2008 study of over 350 aging males between 50 and 80 years old with lower urinary tract symptoms found that just over 68 percent experienced sexual dysfunction.

LUTS are symptoms affecting the lower urinary tract’s ability to store and empty urine, such as:

• Urinary hesitancy

• Urgency or frequency

• Dribbling

• Nocturia (getting up to pee often throughout the night

These symptoms all tend to occur more often in older men.

A 2013 review also found overwhelming evidence connecting erectile dysfunction and LUTS. The review noted that patients struggling with ED and/or urinary problems may also be suffering from other health conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure), type 2 diabetes, obesity, and low testosterone.

How BPH Symptoms and Treatments May Affect Sexual Function

Studies also suggest that prostate diseases like BPH and prostate cancer could cause lower urinary tract symptoms and affect sexual activity.

Pain related to prostatitis (prostate inflammation) may contribute to sexual dysfunctions like erectile dysfunction and ejaculatory issues. Meanwhile, BPH can impair erectile function by affecting muscle tone in the prostate, bladder, and penis.

Treatments for BPH may also cause sexual issues as a side effect, including alpha-blockers, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (5ARIs), and prostate surgery.

Poorly controlled diabetes, kidney disease, nerve damage, obesity, drinking too much, and smoking — which are all potential causes of lower tract urinary symptoms — are also risk factors for erectile dysfunction.

Though there’s not a direct link between having a UTI and ED, you should talk to your healthcare provider about treatment if you’re experiencing one or both of these conditions.

UTIs and ED can have multiple causes and could be linked to other serious health issues like diabetes, high cholesterol, and heart disease. So there’s a chance the two conditions can be diagnosed and treated together.

If you’ve recently noticed you urinate more frequently than before, get medical advice from a healthcare professional. They’ll typically ask about your symptoms and medical history. Let them know if you’ve experienced issues with frequent or excessive urination before and if the issues were caused by a specific medical condition.

A urologist (someone who specializes in urology or urinary tract health) may also perform tests, such as a:

• Urinalysis

• CT scan of your abdomen

• Kidney ultrasound

• Clean-catch urine culture

A clean-catch urine culture can identify bacteria causing a UTI and determine the best antibiotic treatment. Besides antibiotics, UTIs can be treated with pain-relieving medication.

A provider may recommend several different treatment options for ED, including medications, therapy, or a combination of both.

ED Medication

Effective ED treatments include medication known as phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors — or PDE5 inhibitors for short. They relax blood vessels to help increase blood flow to the penis, leading to firmer erections.

ED treatments include:

• Sildenafil (generic for Viagra^®)

• Tadalafil (generic for Cialis^®)  

• Stendra^® (avanafil)

If you’re dealing with both erectile dysfunction and BPH, tadalafil is the only option FDA-approved to treat both conditions.

Learn more about how these medications work and other ways to increase blood flow to your penis in our guide.

Therapy and Lifestyle Changes

Psychological causes of ED can include daily stress from work, relationship problems, or mental health issues like depression. Even sexual performance anxiety can result in ED and other issues that affect your sex life.

A potential solution for psychological ED is psychotherapy or “talk therapy.” Several types of therapy can help you overcome any anxiety or stress that comes up in the bedroom.

Making healthy lifestyle changes can also improve ED symptoms and overall well-being, like following a healthy diet, getting adequate sleep, exercising regularly, and lowering stress levels.

If you’ve started to urinate more often than you used to, your first thought is probably, Where’s the closest bathroom? After that, you may think, Will this affect my sex life?

So, can UTIs cause erectile dysfunction? Here’s what we know:

• Frequent urination can be a sign of a UTI or other health conditions. UTIs, prostate enlargement, kidney disease, and nerve disorders can all lead to more frequent bathroom trips.

• Neither frequent urination nor UTIs cause ED directly, but they’re linked. Some of the medical conditions and lifestyle habits that cause lower urinary tract symptoms are associated with a higher risk of ED.

• Help is available. Antibiotics and pain relievers can treat UTIs, and ED is treated with prescription medication, therapy, and healthy lifestyle changes.

If you’re struggling with a sexual health issue like ED, premature ejaculation (PE), or low libido, you don’t have to let it affect your quality of life. Get advice from a healthcare professional on our men’s health platform today to see which treatments are available.