What causes ED?

ED can be caused by things like stress or fatigue. But a lot of times, ED is not something that you can control. That’s because it’s often due to a physical problem that affects your blood flow.

Usually when a man is sexually aroused:

The brain sends an impulse telling the arteries in the penis to widen.

As a result, more blood flows to the penis.

When this happens, the penis expands and hardens. This causes an erection.

When a man has ED, the nerves or blood vessels in the penis don’t work properly. This prevents blood from flowing to the penis. And that can prevent an erection.

ED is often caused by other health issues that can affect the flow of blood to the penis.

Damage to nerves, arteries, smooth muscles, and fibrous tissues, often as a result of disease, is the most common cause of ED. Diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, chronic alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, vascular disease, and neurologic disease account for about 70 percent of ED cases. Between 35 and 50 percent of men with diabetes experience ED.

Also, surgery (especially radical prostate and bladder surgery for cancer) can injure nerves and arteries near the penis, causing ED. Injury to the penis, spinal cord, prostate, bladder, and pelvis can lead to ED by harming nerves.

In addition, many common medicines blood pressure drugs, antihistamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers, appetite suppressants, and cimetidine (an ulcer drug) can produce ED as a side effect.

Other possible cause is smoking, which affects blood flow in veins and arteries, and hormonal abnormalities, such as not enough testosterone.

What is an erection problem?

Erection problem can be a difficult topic to discuss, but if you have problems getting or keeping an erection, you have good reasons to talk with a doctor: Erection problems not only interfere with your sex life, they can be a sign of other health problems.

Erection problems can be a sign of blocked blood vessels or nerve damage from diabetes. If you don’t see your doctor, these problems will go untreated and can harm your body.

Erection problems used to be called impotence. Now the term erectile dysfunction is more common. Sometimes people just use the initials ED.

Your doctor can offer several ED treatments.

For many men, the answer is as simple as taking a pill. Other men have to try two or three options before they find a treatment that works for them. Don’t give up if the first treatment doesn’t work. Finding the right treatment can take time.

What causes erectile dysfunction?

Many different conditions can lead to ED. Many of the causes are health problems that affect the heart and blood vessels and need to be treated to help prevent more serious problems.

Unhealthy lifestyle habits can also contribute to ED. Anything that’s bad for your heart is also bad for your sexual health: alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, overeating, lack of exercise.

Some prescription drugs such as some antidepressants or high blood pressure medicines can cause ED too. Your doctor may be able to change your drug treatment.

Doctors used to believe that most cases of ED resulted from mental or emotional problems. We now know that most ED has a physical cause. But depression and worry or anxiety can still cause ED. And ED from physical causes can lead to depression and worry, making ED worse. A person should not assume ED is part of the normal process of aging. Another cause most likely exists.

How is erectile dysfunction treated?

Your doctor can offer a number of treatments for ED. You may want to talk with your partner about which treatment fits you best as a couple. Most people want the simplest treatment possible. You may need to try a number of treatments before you find the one that works best for you.

Lifestyle Changes

For some men, getting more exercise, quitting smoking, losing weight, and cutting back on alcohol may solve erection problems.

Counseling

Even though most cases of ED have a physical cause, counseling can help couples deal with the emotional effects. Some couples find that counseling adds to the medical treatment by making their relationship stronger.

Oral Medicines

Current brands for ED treatment include Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis. If your health is generally good, your doctor may prescribe one of these drugs. You should not take any of these pills to treat ED if you take any nitrates, a type of heart medicine. All ED pills work by increasing blood flow to the penis. They do not cause automatic erections. Talk with your doctor about when to take the pill. You may need to experiment to find out how soon the pill takes effect.

Even if taking a pill solves your erection problem, you should still take care of the other health issues that may have caused your ED.