Erectile Dysfunction

Erection Problems Need Not Be The End Of Your Sex Life!

Once called impotence, erectile dysfunction was thought of as a psychological issue or a natural part of ageing. Nowadays we know erectile dysfunction is often the result of physical problems as opposed to psychological problems, and the great news is that men can have normal erections well into old age - their 80s.

Seeking assistance for erectile dysfunction is well worth the small amount of effort it takes. Erectile dysfunction has many treatments available, ranging from sexual psychotherapy to drugs, all of which can restore normal sexual function for the majority of men. When erection problems are the result of an underlying condition like high cholesterol or heart disease, it's important to deal with both problems; equally, erection problems must be taken seriously because they can indicate a more serious problem such as diabetes or hyperlipidemia.

Erectile dysfunction is defined in many ways; one is the inability to keep an erection hard enough for sex at least one time in four you make love. But occasional erection problems certainly happen to most men and can be thought of as normal. Continual erectile dysfunction should be evaluated as mentioned above because it is the first sign of a serious  underlying health condition that requires urgent treatment.

Male sexual arousal is a very complicated mechanism which involves the brain, hormones, the psychology and emotions, the nervous system, the body musculature and the circulatory system. A problem in one of these systems can produce erectile dysfunction.

Anatomy of an erection

The penis is made up of three sponge-like structures (the two corpora cavernosa and the corpus spongeosum) that run along its length around the urethra. When you're sexually aroused, blood flow to these tissues increases by several times, and the inflow of blood produces an erection by increasing the volume of the penile tissues and then stiffening the penis. Ongoing sexual arousal keeps the increased amount of blood flowing into the penis and stops blood flow out of the penis, which maintains the erection. After the moment of ejaculation or when sexual stimulation has ended, the increased blood drains out of the penis and the penis become flaccid once again.

Physical causes of erectile dysfunction

Some time ago, erectile dysfunction was regarded as primarily the result of psychological problems and issues. But even though your thoughts and emotions are an essential part of your penis becoming erect, erectile problems are often caused by a physical, possibly a chronic, health problem or even unwanted side effects of a prescription medication.

The most common causes of erection problems are:

• Heart disease
• Atherosclerosis
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Metabolic syndrome

Other causes of erection problems include:

• Some prescription medications
• Smoking
• Excess alcohol intake and other forms of drug abuse
• Treatments for prostate cancer
• Parkinson's disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Low testosterone
• Peyronie's disease
• Surgery and trauma to the pelvic area or spinal cord

Psychological causes of erectile dysfunction

The brain triggers physical events that lead to erection; the first part of this process is a sense of sexual arousal. But this can be affected by

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Fatigue
• Emotional issues like inadequate communication or emotional conflict with your relationship partner

The physical and psychological causes of erection problems are not separate. A minor issues which slows your sexual responsivity can produce anxiety about keeping your erection. The resulting anxiety can produce a vicious circle of anxiety and ever-worsening erectile dysfunction.

There are several risk factors for erection problems and erectile dysfunction, including:

• Ageing As many as eight men in ten over the age of 75 will have symptoms of erectile dysfunction. It's a natural process, of course, that as we men get older we notice changes in our erectile functioning, such as erections requiring longer to develop and needing physical stimulation to get them underway, but erection problems are not inevitable as you get older: they occur because of underlying medical problems which need treating. Nowhere is this more true than with low testosterone levels.
• A long standing or chronic health condition There are many bodily systems which can produce erection problems - various conditions of the circulatory system, endocrine system, nervous system, for example, including diabetes, plaques in your arteries, and low levels of testosterone.
• Taking prescription medications A large number of drugs such as anti-acid medication, anti-depressants, and medications to deal with high blood pressure, painkillers and drugs for prostate cancer can all be responsible for erection problems because they affect nerve impulses or blood flow to the penis. Certain tranquilizers and sleeping medication may also can pose a problem.
• Surgeries or injuries Any kind of damage to the nerves which regulate and control erections may well be responsible for erection problems. Nerve damage to the pelvic area or the spinal cord will interfere with many bodily functions, including the mechanism of erection. And pelvic surgery of any kind may heighten the risk of erectile dysfunction.
• Substance abuse Chronic abuse or over-consumption of alcohol, cannabis, and certain other drugs will cause erectile dysfunction and possibly a reduction in libido. 
• Anxiety, depression, and stress All of these emotional conditions can contribute to the development of an unreliable erection.
• Smoking  This is such a big cause of erectile dysfunction that it deserves to be more widely publicized. It reduces  blood flow to the penis considerably; men who smoke are very likely to develop erectile dysfunction.
• Obesity Being overweight - especially obese - is a high risk factor for erectile dysfunction.
• Metabolic syndrome A condition in which belly fat, unhealthily high levels of cholesterol and triglyceride, together with high blood pressure and some degree of resistance to insulin all conspire to promote erection problems.
• Prolonged bicycling Believe it or not, it has now been proved beyond doubt that pressure from a badly -designed bicycle seat will compress nerves and reduce blood flow to the penis, causing erectile dysfunction and penile numbness.

If your erection problems are not just some short term issue, you should see a doctor who specializes in erectile dysfunction. He will be best placed to work out exactly what is going on, discover why you have lost your erections, and work out the correct treatment. You may well see erectile dysfunction as a personal issue and let it affect your sexual self-esteem; at the very least, it is an embarrassing problem, so it is extremely important to get effective treatment. In most cases, erection problems can be successfully alleviated or corrected. If the therapy or medication which has been prescribed to treat your erectile dysfunction isn't working, go back and get a further consultation. It's unwise to combine medications and therapies without medical advice or to adjust dosages of Viagra.

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