Erectile Dysfunction - What's Up
More than 20 Million Men in the U.S. Suffer from Impotence
Mar 30, 2009
In medical terms, erectile dysfunction is defined as being unable to achieve or maintain an erection for satisfactory sexual intercourse. Depending on what source you are reading -- approximately 20 to 30 million men in the United States have erectile dysfunction (ED).
Men with ED don't Always Tell Their Spouses
In recent years, prescription drugs for ED have men talking with their physician about their condition and available options. However, more often than not, many men omit talking to their partners about their ED for a variety of reasons. What they may not know or understand is the possible catastrophic damage it could cause to their relationship.
For example, men who have ED may find their sexual relationships often worsen because their partner mistakenly believes that the problem has something to do with her. The result is often a "snowball" effect that can cause even greater stress and anxiety, and weaker erections. Their partner may think "I don't want to pressure him" and may become hesitant, avoiding intimacy or playfulness.
In the downward spiral, the partner may also worry about not being attractive, and may even wonder "is there someone else?" And when the partner withdraws from the relationship, it only makes matters worse for both. In fact, all types of sexual interaction may eventually stop because often men with ED believe that they "should be able to follow through."
Experts indicate this is particularly common for heterosexual couples. So in addition to needing medical help, assistance is required to get the sexual relationship back on track.
Sex is All in Your Head
What many people may not fully understand is that - sex is really all in your head. Your brain is what triggers or starts your motor running, i.e. an erection.
The mechanism of an erection is complex, but it all begins in the brain. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) provides the following comprehensive explanation.
In a nutshell, sexual thoughts and stimuli send a signal down through the nervous system to the penis, which causes a series of chemicals in the penis to be released. These chemicals trigger sponge-like tissue in the penis to become filled with blood, causing an erection.
The condition of ED results from one or more problems in this process whether it be with an impairment of the signalling process from the brain to the penis, or interference from the series of chemicals needed to be released in the penis for an erection to occur.
The causes and conditions for ED are:
- The most common cause: Damage to nerves, arteries, smooth muscles, and fibrous tissues, often as a result of disease, include diabetes, kidney disease, alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, vascular disease, and neurologic disease which account for about 70 per cent of ED cases. Between 35 and 50 per cent of men with diabetes experience ED.
- Lifestyle choices that contribute to heart disease and vascular problems also raise the risk, which include smoking, being overweight, and avoiding exercise.
- Injuries to the pelvic region and pelvic surgeries.
- Many common medicines can produce ED as a side effect, they include: blood pressure drugs, antihistamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers, and appetite suppressants.
- Experts believe that psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, guilt, depression, low self-esteem, and fear of sexual failure cause 10 to 20 percent of ED cases. And men with a physical cause for ED frequently experience the same sort of psychological reactions - stress, anxiety, guilt, depression.
If you have or think you have erectile dysfunction, don't delay consulting with your health care professional.
