Erectile Dysfunction (Impotence): Definition, Causes, Risk Factors

There are a variety of sexual disorders men can face when it comes to their sexual health. The best way to categorize these disorders is to put them in groups as far as natural sexual responses are concerned. Males go through four distinct phases in a normal sexual response cycle.

The first phase is connected to actual sexual desire. Man has to have this ignition, this spark that is eventually followed by the excitement phase, which is constituted by the gradual hardening of the penis. The excitement is followed by the orgasmic phase, which, in its turn is followed by sexual resolution. Sexual dysfunction can happen at each of these phases. Even though the phases are discreet, there is a significant overlap in all these processes. You can have abnormalities anywhere along these phases. Abnormalities connected with desire include low libido and hyper-sexuality, and sexual aversion. Erectile dysfunction is part of the second part of the natural cycle which is the excitement phase. For urologists, it is the most common problem we deal with in the field of sexual health.

What is the general definition?

Erectile dysfunction can generally be defined as consistent inability to either obtain or to maintain an erection so that the latter is sufficient to have a sexual intercourse. Complete erectile dysfunction, also known as complete impotence is characterized by the inability to have penetrative relations at any stage. So both inability to obtain an erection and inability to maintain erection can be counted as erectile dysfunction, that is why it is necessary to identify to which particular scenario one’s case belongs to.

Would it be normal for men to occasionally experience difficulties in having an erection sufficient for a healthy sexual practice and not to worry about having erectile dysfunction?

There are certain times in life of almost any man, when he has to face problems with either obtaining or maintaining an erection. But what defines erectile dysfunction is the constancy of the inability to keep an erection.

What is the percentage of male population dealing with erectile dysfunction?

There have been a lot of scientific studies targeting precisely these statistics. What they have shown, is a wide discrepancy as far as the precise percentage of males with erectile dysfunction is concerned. A lot of medical specialists consider the study known as the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, to be the ultimate guide. What the specialists that conducted this study did, they took men of various ages, and found out that men who passed 50 years old threshold have 30 to 50 percent among them who are experiencing problems associated with erectile dysfunction. While above 75 percent of men above age 60 were found to have problems with erection. As a matter of fact, there is a slight decline in testosterone levels, which drops for around 1 percent per year between ages 40 and 70. So by the age of 70 men have 30 percent lower circulating testosterone level.

What can cause erectile dysfunction?

Causes of erectile dysfunction are commonly divided into organic and psychogenic. These can be further broken down into various groups, depending on the approach.

Organic causes can be connected to:

Vascular problem
Arterial and venous problems, clogging of arteries, etc. Essentially in this case the blood flow to the genital area is decreased. It is crucial to keep one’s cholesterol levels under 150 mg/ dl in order to have a proper blood supply.
Neurogenic dysfunctions
Hormonal problems
Drugs and/or medications induced problems
Enlarged prostate problems. During the aging process, the nerve receptors which are responsible for transmitting sensations via pathways to the central nervous system. These receptors are situated in the glands of the penis, start dying off, so you have a fewer number of nerve receptors. In the end, it becomes more difficult to get the arousal response even with physical stimulation. We call this cause “decreased vibrotactile sensitivity” of the penis.

Psychogenic causes can be broken down into a variety psychiatric conditions, such as, for example, borderline personality disorder caused, clinical depression, anxiety disorders. As a matter of fact, almost any psychiatric condition can have erectile dysfunction as one of its consequences.

Another subgroup of these is psycho-social and relationship problems. Lack of attraction to your mate can cause erectile dysfunction. Also simple stress of life pressures sometimes can bring your sexual libido down, which, in its turn, will surely affect your sexual performance.

If we do not consider the age factor, what other groups of the male population can be considered as being at higher risk to have erectile dysfunction? What are the risk factors for erectile dysfunction in general?

Medical specialists know that there are certain risk factors for erectile dysfunction. If you think of all the risk factors for cardiac abnormalities, those are mostly also the factors that can be applied for erectile dysfunction. Doctors should include these in their medical history when seeing a man with these conditions in order to understand and to inquire the reasons for erectile dysfunction fully.

These risk factors include:

Diabetics have a greater inclination for clogging blood vessels, which include those that lead to the genitalia. So for diabetics and predioabetics it is important to get your cholesterol down and manage your blood sugar level in order to maintain a proper blood flow through all of your body, which will also prevent heart attacks and possible gangrene problems.
Hypertension
Elevated cholesterol levels
Obesity
Alcohol. Alcohol also increases risk of erectile dysfunction. It wouldn’t affect your ability if you drink a glass of wine once in a while, but if you drink regularly, on a daily basis, you would certainly belong to the risk group.

What happens if men do not do anything after being diagnosed with erectile dysfunction?

The penis, like many other organs of the human body, needs constant exercise to maintain a healthy condition. Think of the regular muscles; they tend to decrease in size and to lose their ability to perform a certain task, if they are not maintained in the proper shape via either exercise or labor that involves them. The same thing happens to the penis. For example, men who had prostate cancer and had their prostate removed as a result, and have serious erectile dysfunction, are found to lose around 2 centimeters in size of their penis. The longer they live without an erection, the more they lose in size. Urologists do not recommend keeping on living with erectile dysfunction without treating it in one way or the other. Fortunately, there are many ways men can apply to treat erectile dysfunction.

What are the known treatment options to deal with erectile dysfunction?

Nowadays, there is a variety of different medications specifically engineered to treat erectile dysfunction. The most known include Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, Stendra, and some others. These medications were not available for men 25 years ago. There were very few things doctors could offer their patients suffering from erectile dysfunction. This was the reason why many men sort of stayed in the closet, and did not tell about their decease anybody, even doctors. What you can say if everybody knows there are no effective treatments? They breakthrough happened when Viagra was first introduced in 1998, followed by Cialis and Levitra in 2003. Men could take them orally to enhance their erection.

Other methods to treat erectile dysfunction include:

Intra-cavernous injections
Vacuum Erection Devices
A Urethral Suppository
Surgical Methods
Taking Testosterone

Natural Solutions:

Tribulus Teresis
Muira Puama
Avena Sativa
Maca Root
Daniana Root

Disclaimer: The information presented on the page should not be used for self-medication or self-diagnosis. If you suspect the presence of a disease, you must seek help from a qualified specialist. Only your attending physician can diagnose and prescribe treatment.