Successful Self Penile Injection

After undergoing prostate cancer treatments such as radiation, non nerve-sparing prostatectomy, or partial nerve-sparing prostatectomy, it is common to experience erectile dysfunction. One method of restoring temporary sexual function is self-penile injection, where erection-producing medications are injected. If you are considering trying injections, you may have questions about the mechanics, safety, or effectiveness of this therapy.

Stan Rosenfeld, Chair of the UCSF Patient Services Committee and a prostate cancer patient advocate, wrote a helpful guide for the injection process based on his experience with injection therapy and in consultation with a physician specializing in this treatment. Stan leads the Marin County Prostate Cancer Support group and is a volunteer for UCSF's Prostate Cancer Peer Support Program. He created the guide to fill an information gap. Although it is a safe and effective therapy for most men, self-injection is relatively underused. The guide answers questions about most aspects of the self-injection process, making it a valuable resource.

The guide has been approved by a UCSF committee of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, and is now one of UCSF’s Your Health Matters informational documents. Since its initial publication, Stan’s guide has received widespread attention from men and their partners who are thinking about self injection, and has been distributed all over the world by both patients and doctors.

If you want to learn more about self-injection, or if you are hearing about it for the first time, we encourage you to read the following guide! Click here. If you have additional questions, please contact your urologist or you can contact Stan directly at 415/459.4668.