Erectile dysfunction: an overview

When
men become sexually aroused, hormones, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels all
work with one another to create an erection. Nerve signals, sent from the brain
to the penis, stimulate muscles to relax. This in turn, allows blood to flow to
the tissue in the penis.

Once
the blood fills the penis and an erection has been achieved, the blood vessels
to the penis close off so that erection is maintained.

Erection
problems occur when you can’t achieve or maintain an erection that is firm
enough to have sexual intercourse. This can be called; erectile dysfunction,
impotence or sexual dysfunction. For most men, these problems occur
occasionally and aren’t a serious problem but if it occurs at least 50% of the
time, you might require medical attention.

 

Symptoms of erectile dysfunction

• Being able to get an erection sometimes,
  but not every time you want to have sex.
• Being able to achieve an erection, but not
  having it last long enough for sex
• Being unable to get an erection at any
  time.

 

Common causes of erection dysfunction

Causes
of erectile dysfunction can be classified into physical cause, psychological
cause or both.

Physical cause:

They
occur because of disorders that affect the nerves and blood vessels responsible
for causing an erection. They include:

• Spinal cord injury
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol: this increase the risk
  of atherosclerosis where the arteries become narrowed and clogged, resulting in
  impaired blood flow. When this happens to the arteries in the penis, it can
  prevent enough blood from reaching the penis to create erection.
• Diabetes: raises risk of erectile
  dysfunction threefold by its effect on nerves and blood vessels.
• Obesity
• Alcoholism
• Atherosclerosis (hardening of the
  arteries)
• Certain medications such as
  antihypertensive drugs (e.g. beta blockers, diuretics), antidepressants, muscle
  relaxers etc.
• Substance abuse: causes damage to the
  blood vessels including those that supplies the penis.
• Long term use of tobacco
• Prostate problems.

Psychological causes:

These
are emotional issues and include:

• Low self-esteem.
• Worry (especially worry over not being
  able to achieve and maintain an erection)
• Prolonged emotional distress relating to
  economy, professional or social issues.
• Relationship conflicts
• Depression: this can cause lack of
  interest in sex. Consult your doctor if you are experiencing this.

 

DIAGNOSING ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Testing
for erectile dysfunction can involve a variety of steps, including physical
examination, health and sexual history.

Psychological history taking

 Your doctor will ask you some questions which
may include:

• How long you have been experiencing
  erectile dysfunction.
• Are you having any problems with feeling
  sexual desire, ejaculating, or reaching orgasm?
• How often do you have sex?
• How firm are your erections and is it
  affected by any stimulation or a particular stimulation?
• Do you wake up in the morning or in the
  middle of the night with erections?
• Have you recently been experiencing lot of
  stress?
• Do you have any underlying condition or
  have you had surgery on or injury to your pelvic area?

Additional test

• Ultrasound:
  to
  examine the blood vessels of the penis to determine if there is a problem with
  penis blood flow.
• Injection
  test: during this test, a medication is inserted into your
  penis to stimulate an erection. This allows the doctor to evaluate the firmness
  of the erection and how long it lasts.
•  Urine
  test:  to check for
  conditions such as diabetes
• Blood
  tests: to check for conditions such as diabetes, heart
  disease, testosterone level.

(Diagnosing
ED first appeared in healthline.com)

 

Treatment for erection problems

Severity
of erectile dysfunction is often graded on a three point scale: mild, moderate
and severe. Options for treating erection problems include

Medical interventions

There
are variety of medical interventions that can be used to treat impotence.
Prescription treatment for impotence include:

• Sildenafil (viagra)
• Tadalafil (cialis)
• Testosterone replacement therapy
• Avanafil (stendra)

·        
Vascular surgery may also be considered
(to improve blood flow in the penis) penial implant surgery.

You
may consult your doctor for more appropriate prescription as self-medication or
over the counter drugs are not medically advisable.

Penis pumps

This
is another option for individuals looking for noninvasive, nondrug treatments.
Penis pumps may be very effective for those with moderate erectile dysfunction.

Lifestyle changes

• Drinking less and quit smoking
• Strengthening communication in a romantic
  relationship
• Exercising more and following a healthy
  diet
• Reducing anxiety
• Counselling
  should also be considered to address possible psychological causes.

 

Complications of erectile dysfunction

• An unsatisfactory sex life.
• Stress or anxiety
• Embarrassment
• Relationship problems
• Inability to impregnate your partner.