*Welcome to the OutUK series looking at gay men and their health brought to you in association with the NHS* website.**
	Each week we'll tackle a different topic in our A to Z of Gay Health. We'll have features and advice on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. You can follow any of links provided below for more information direct from the NHS website, or see this week's feature L: Laxatives.

Priapism Painful Erections

Priapism is a long-lasting painful erection. It can cause permanent damage to your penis if not treated quickly.

Things you can try yourself to reduce a painful erection

There are things you can try to reduce your erection.

do not apply ice packs or cold water to your penis - this can make things worse, particularly if you have sickle cell disease
do not have sex or masturbate - it will not make your erection go away
do not drink alcohol
do not smoke

you have an erection that lasts more than 3 to 4 hours
you have sickle cell disease and a painful erection that lasts for more than 1 hour

An erection that lasts this long needs to be treated in hospital as soon as possible to avoid permanent damage to the penis.

Treatments to help reduce your erection include:

using a needle to drain blood from your penis, which is done while the area is numbed under local anaesthetic
tablets or injections directly into your penis
surgery to drain the blood through a tiny cut, done while you're asleep under general anaesthetic

Priapism often affects people with sickle cell disease.

Other causes include:

OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health continues and you can read this week's feature L: Laxatives. We have covered many subjects in this series and you can catch up with all of our Previous A to Z Features. If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.
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