Iron Deficiency Can Cause Itchy Penis

Itchy penis. It can happen anywhere. In the privacy of one’s own room, yes, but it seems to more often happen when one is walking down a crowded street or talking to a potential new partner in a bar or making an important presentation in front of an important client. An itchy penis is one of the most common penis health issues, and the range of causes is wide and varied. Interestingly enough, it appears that iron deficiency may in some cases be a contributing factor to that annoying itchy penis.

Pruritus

Itchy skin is often called pruritus by medical professionals, so technically an itchy penis could be said to be a pruritical penis – but most doctors shy away from being that technical. But why should a lack of iron have anything to do with how itchy a man’s equipment is?

Iron is important for healthy skin, whether on the penis or elsewhere. One reason for this is that iron is required to transport oxygen throughout the body, and it is this access to iron that impacts the health of all organs – and the skin is indeed an organ of the body. When skin is properly oxygenated, it is able to access nutrients more fully and to use those nutrients in vital processes that are intended to keep skin healthy.

When there is a deficiency of iron, the skin gets less oxygen than it needs. This can lead to dryness and cracking, and skin that lacks proper moisturization tends to be much more prone to itchiness. Often that itchiness may be confined to certain areas of the body – in some cases, the penis.

Iron deficiency

Often iron deficiency comes about simply because a person is not getting enough iron in their diet. When that is the case, a change in eating habits may be called for. Some foods are especially high in iron; these include red meats, beans, dried fruit, fortified cereals, shellfish, spinach, pumpkin seeds, turkey, and broccoli. So, adding more helpings of iron-rich foods can be effective.

Sometimes iron deficiency is not caused by, or not solely caused by, dietary issues. Loss of blood can create an iron-deficient situation. There are certain diseases and conditions that can also lead to a loss of iron, such as Crohn’s disease, atrophic gastritis, or parasites. There are some medications (including aspirin) that may also impair the necessary absorption of iron.

Itchy skin is not always a symptom of iron deficiency – and when it is, it is usually not the only one. Other symptoms include lethargy or fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, difficulty concentrating, brittle hair or loss of hair, pale skin, coldness in hands and/or feet, sores on the mouth or tongue, and difficulty swallowing.

If a man suspects he may have iron deficiency, he should consult a doctor promptly. It is best not to self-diagnose, as many of these symptoms are associated with other conditions as well. Also, adding iron supplements without consulting a doctor can be dangerous, as too much iron can also result in problems, especially in children. A medical professional is better positioned to prescribe an appropriate course of treatment.

Taking care of iron deficiency that is causing an itchy penis will help in the long run, but in the short term a more immediate solution is desirable. One thing that helps is the regular application of a top-notch penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin). Because dryness is typically the reason for the itchiness, find a crème that includes a combination of effective moisturizing agents, such as highly prized shea butter and natural vitamin E. It helps if the crème also contains vitamin B5 (also known as pantothenic acid), which is required for cell metabolism and the maintenance of healthy tissue.

Iron Overload Can Impact Penis Function

When penis health is good, penis function is more likely to be good as well. But sometimes there are conditions which indirectly affect penis function. One such example may occur when a man suffers from iron overload, that is, an excess amount of iron in his system.

Iron is basically good

Now, as any boy who is told to eat his spinach or take his vitamins knows, the body needs iron. In most cases, iron is a good thing. This mineral is an essential component of hemoglobin, which takes iron out of the lungs and transports it around the body to the tissues which need it to thrive and work properly. It also plays a role in growth and development, as well as in cellular function.

Sometimes a person has too little iron and can develop anemia, a situation in which not enough oxygen is transported around the body. This leaves a person feeling tired and fatigued and can have long term health consequences.

But in some cases, a person may actually get too much iron. When this happens, there is more iron than the body can properly process. If it is not removed it will travel around the body until it comes to rest in various tissues and organs, such as the heart, brain, liver, pancreas, pituitary gland, etc. This can have a negative effect on the organ; if the iron overload is too severe, it can impair the proper functioning of the organ and in some cases can destroy it.

Penis function

And how does iron overload affect penis function? The main problems are when the heart and/or pituitary gland gets iron overloaded.

Clearly, anything that affects the heart is bad news and cardiac issues can impact a man’s total health. In terms of penis health, impaired cardiac function can affect a man’s stamina so that he may have a more difficult time “keeping going” while having sex. It can also affect the heart’s ability to pump blood at an appropriate level to build and then maintain an erection, leading to erectile dysfunction. Finally, a slower blood rate also means a decrease in oxygen being delivered, which weakens penile tissue.

The pituitary gland is important in penis health because it produces a wide variety of hormones – many of which affect the penis. If the pituitary is impaired, a man’s libido may suffer, his ability to achieve erections may diminish, and in some cases, he may experience shrinkage of the testes.

Causes

Iron overload can sometimes be caused by simply having too much iron in the diet; however, usually there is an outside factor at work. These include hereditary conditions such as hereditary hemochromatosis or thalassemia. Diseases requiring frequent blood transfusions, such as leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, lymphoma, or sickle cell disease, and again including thalassemia, also can result in iron overload.

Typically, iron overload is treated either by phlebotomy or chelation. With phlebotomy, a unit of blood is removed from the body, with the process repeated every few weeks as necessary until iron levels are normal. Chelation involves administering a drug on a daily basis over an extended period of time; the drug will “bind” with the iron and remove it gradually.

Penis function impacted by iron overload will more easily recover if penis health is not otherwise affected, so guys should regularly apply a superior penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin). Take trouble to select a crème that contains a wide range of necessary vitamins, especially vitamins A, B, C, D, and E. In addition, a penis should be rewarded with a crème containing L-arginine. This ingredient helps to boost the body’s production of nitric oxide; this in turn helps penile blood vessels to expand more readily when there is increased blood flow.