Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction, which is sometimes referred to as impotence, is the inability for a man to get an erection or keep the penis hard enough to allow for sexual intercourse to take place. This inability to get your penis erect has to be consistent for it to be erectile dysfunction. This is because there are times when you can fail to get an erection if you are stressed. Erectile dysfunction is caused by interruption of the flow of blood to the penis or any damage of the nerves that are in the penis.
Generally, the causes of ED can be divided into two main groups: physical and psychological.
Physical causes:
- Reduced blood flow to the penis. It happens in the result of narrowing of the arteries in the penis. As a result, erection is complicated because blood flow is not strong enough. This happens because of aging, hypertension problems, high cholesterol, smoking or diabetes.
- ED can also be a result of such illnesses as multiple sclerosis, a stroke, Parkinson's disease and so on; any ailment that affects the nerves going to the penis.
- Diabetes is considered one of the most frequent reasons for ED appearance.
- Any kind of injury to the nerves going to the penis is fraught with erection problems.
- Medications are also able to cause ED as one of their side-effects. Generally this happens after administration of antidepressants, beta-blockers, some diuretics and some other drugs.
- Alcohol and drug abuse can also be considered a reason for ED.
- In certain case it can also be cycling; especially, if a man is used to take long distance rides. It is supposed that sitting in the saddle for long causes pressure on the nerves going to the penis and this causes erection problems in the end.
- In rare cases it can be hormonal imbalance.
Psychological causes:
- First of all, it is stress.
- Then, anxiety is a very wide-spread reason for ED.
- Relationship difficulties frequently explain problems in sex life.
- Last but not the least, depression.
In case when ED develops out of the blue, it means that the problem is more of a psychological kind. Due to some personal problems, depression and worries it can happen to any men. It is also frequent that the occurrence of ED aggravates the present state of depression. All in all, it is recommended to apply for professional help in order to find the underlying reason and to treat it accordingly. Treatment options include surgery, psychotherapy and drug therapy.