What Causes Impotence?
Most men experience a failed erection at some time in their lives, but
if you find that you can’t achieve and maintain an erection in at
least 3 out of 4 attempts, you should ask your doctor about impotence.
Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction or ED, is a condition in
which a man is unable to achieve or maintain an erection long enough to
have a satisfactory sex life.
In the past, doctors considered impotence to be a mainly psychological problem, caused by performance anxiety or stress. Now, however, doctors know that most cases of impotence have a physical cause, which can be treated.
In fact, according to Impotence Australia, physical causes contribute to about 75 per cent of cases of impotence. Please click for a range of impotence cures.
Physical causes of impotence include damage to the arteries and veins that allow blood to flow into and out of the penis, and damage to the nerves that send signals from the body’s central nervous system to the penis. This damage can have several causes.
Physical Causes of Impotence
Impaired blood flow to the penis
A very common cause of impotence is when blood flow to the penis is impaired
due to atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries. In atherosclerosis,
the arteries are clogged and narrowed, resulting in reduced blood flow.
This narrowing of the arteries can be caused by conditions such as high
cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes, as well as
by smoking.
Impotence can also be caused by a blood clot that prevents enough blood from flowing into the penis to cause an erection.
Impaired blood flow out of the penis
In some men, blood can flow in to the penis easily, but the problem is
that it leaks out again, so an erection cannot be sustained. This is called
venous leakage. Doctors aren’t certain of the cause of venous leakage,
but they can perform surgery to help repair it.
Medications
Some medications can cause erection problems as a side effect, including:
diuretics; high blood pressure medications; cholesterol-lowering drugs;
diabetes medications; antidepressants; cancer treatments; non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); and epilepsy medications.
If you experience impotence after starting a new medication, tell your doctor, who may be able to prescribe a different medicine for you. You should also tell your doctor about any over-the-counter medicines or complementary remedies you may be taking.
Diabetes
Both forms of diabetes, Type 1 (insulin-dependent) and Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent),
are common causes of impotence: men who have diabetes are 3 times more
likely to have impotence than other men. Diabetes contributes to impotence
because it can damage blood vessels and cause a type of nerve damage known
as peripheral neuropathy.
In certain circumstances natural impotence cures and treatments are worth investigating. They do not require prescriptions and maybe more effective than commonly known pharmaceutical treatments. Please see : www.itsbbb.com
Prostate cancer
The advanced stages of prostate cancer can affect the nerves and arteries
that are vital for an erection. Radiation treatment for prostate cancer
can harm the erectile tissues of the penis, and surgery can cause nerve
or artery damage to the penis.
Peyronie’s disease
Peyronie’s disease is an uncommon condition that affects a man’s
sex life because his penis curves abnormally and causes pain when he has
an erection. He might also be unable to have a hard erection. The curvature
of the penis is caused by a scar, called a plaque, that forms in the penis.
Prostatitis
Prostatitis is a condition in which the prostate gland becomes inflamed,
due to a bacterial infection. This results in painful and more frequent
urination and sometimes a fever, as well as pain on ejaculation and erectile
dysfunction. The infection can be treated with antibiotics.
Diseases of the nervous system
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson’s disease are degenerative
diseases of the nervous system, which can impair the nerves involved in
erections.
Depression
Many men find that when they’re suffering from depression, they
can’t get or keep an erection. Asking your doctor for treatments
for depression may help alleviate your erection problems as well. For
treatment of depressive disorders please visit : http://painrelief.bestbuys-rx.com/zoloft.htm
Hormones
Low levels of the male hormone, testosterone, are more commonly linked
to a lowered sex drive, rather than impotence itself. Only about 2 per
cent of cases of impotence are caused by hormone deficiency. For natural
vitamin supplements and sexual boosters please visit : http://www.itsbbb.com
Low testosterone levels may be the result of a condition called hypogonadism, in which the testicles don’t produce enough testosterone, or, more rarely, because a tumour on the pituitary gland at the base of the brain has caused an abnormally high level of prolactin, a hormone that can lower testosterone levels.
Injury and accidents
Impotence can be caused by spinal cord injury; injury to your sex organs;
or a pelvic fracture, which can cause damage the nerves to the penis,
and damage the blood vessels, resulting in impairment of blood flow to
the penis.
Surgery
Surgery to organs near the nerve pathways of the penis, such as the bladder,
rectum and prostate, can cause nerve or artery damage to the penis, resulting
in the inability to have an erection.
Smoking
Smoking contributes to vascular disease, so it can contribute to erectile
dysfunction by affecting blood flow to the penis.
Excessive alcohol use
Alcoholism can cause permanent nerve damage, resulting in impotence. This
nerve damage is called peripheral neuropathy. Long-term alcohol use can
impair the liver’s ability to function, resulting in a hormone imbalance
in which a man has too much of the female sex hormone, oestrogen. On a
day-to-day level, alcohol dulls the central nervous system, impairing
sexual response.
Illicit drug use
Illicit drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, barbiturates, and amphetamines
act on the central nervous system, impairing the body’s ability
to respond sexually.
Prolonged exercise
Nerve and artery damage can be caused by cycling too hard or prolonged
use of a rowing machine, resulting in the inability to get an erection.
Often, minimising the use of hard bicycle seats and exercise machine seats
will help restore sexual function.
Psychological Causes of Impotence
Most cases of impotence have physical causes, but, in some men, psychological factors are the main contributors to impotence. Impotence that’s triggered by psychological factors is more likely to appear suddenly, and perhaps when you’re with just one particular person, than impotence that has a physical cause. You’re also more likely to have morning erections, and be able to have an erection when you masturbate, than men whose impotence has a physical cause. Here are some psychological factors that can have an impact on your erections.
Stress and anxiety
When you’re stressed and focusing on other issues apart from sex,
you might find that you don’t want to have sex as often and there
might be a drop in your ability to perform when you do try. You might
find that tackling the source of your stress can have benefits in the
bedroom as well.
Fear of failure
Anxiety about your sexual prowess (commonly called performance anxiety)
can, in itself, contribute to failure. By putting pressure on yourself,
you become too anxious to get an adequate erection.
Problems with your relationship
Impotence may be a manifestation of a poor relationship, or a problematic
time in a relationship. Sexual boredom, tension or anger among partners,
and lack of intimacy and communication are all possible triggers of erectile
dysfunction. In these cases, seeing a counsellor may help. For more information
that you an your partner can review please click to visit.
It’s worth remembering that impotence is a complex medical condition, which may have more than one cause. For example, if impotence is the result of a side effect of medication or an underlying disease, the anxiety caused by lack of performance may perpetuate the erectile dysfunction even after the physical cause has been tackled.
If you’re worried about your sexual response or the quality of your erections, don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor, who has access to treatments that can help.
Reproduced from www.mydr.com.au.
Copyright MediMedia Australia 2004.
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