What is Venous Leak?

During a normal erection, blood flows into the penis and gets trapped there by closing off the veins.
With a venous leak, those veins don’t close properly, so blood escapes too fast—making it hard to get or maintain an erection, even if arousal is present.

Key causes

Venous leak can happen due to:

Damage to penile tissue or veins

Aging-related loss of elasticity

Diabetes

High blood pressure or heart disease

Nerve or vascular injury

Trauma or surgery in the pelvic area

Common symptoms

Erections that start but quickly soften

Inability to maintain firmness during intercourse

Better erections when lying down than standing

Poor response to oral ED medications in some cases

How it’s diagnosed

Doctors may use:

Penile Doppler ultrasound

Dynamic infusion cavernosometry/cavernosography (DICC)

Physical and hormonal evaluation

Treatment options

Treatment depends on severity and cause:

PDE5 inhibitors (like sildenafil) – may help in mild cases

Vacuum erection devices

Injection therapy

Venous surgery or embolization (selected cases)

Penile implants (for severe or resistant cases)

Important note

Venous leak is not dangerous to life, but it can seriously affect confidence, relationships, and quality of life—and it’s treatable with the right approach.