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Does laser surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia affect erections?

Dr. Fernando Gómez Sancha · ICUA

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Dr. Fernando Gómez Sancha · YouTube

Language: English. Editorial classification in the patient catalog.

Does laser surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia affect erections?

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About this video

Many men fear that laser prostate surgery (HoLEP) will leave them impotent. It's the number-one fear in my clinic — and it almost always comes from a misunderstanding. Erection and ejaculation are NOT the same thing. Erection depends on nerves that run alongside the prostate. In a well-performed laser enucleation, those nerves are preserved. What changes for most patients is ejaculation — which becomes retrograde — NOT the ability to have erections, NOT the ability to have orgasms. 👉 If you're scheduled for prostate surgery, ask for a clear explanation. It saves you a fear you shouldn't be carrying.

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Source checked: 2026-10-04.

Available transcript · English

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  1. Does prostate laser surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia make you impotent? It's the number one fear in my clinic and it almost always comes from a confusion. Erection and ejaculation are not the same thing. The erection depends on nerves that run right beside the prostate. In a properly done laser enucleation, those nerves are spared.
  2. What changes for most men is ejaculation. They have a dry orgasm or retrograde ejaculation. But the ability to get an erection or having orgasms does not change. If you're going to have surgery, ask them to explain it with that distinction in front of you. It spares you a lot of needless fear.

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