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Causes of Erectile Dysfunction

Erections are complex, dependent on both psychological and physical aspects. Some people assume that erectile dysfunction is a part of aging. However this isn't true. Most cases of erectile dysfunction are usually a result of other factors such as certain health conditions, medicines, or habits that interfere with blood flow around the body and penis.

A good lifestyle can help improve male sexual health, for example a good diet, exercise, not smoking and drinking in moderation can all help improve erectile problems.

Below are the main reasons for erectile dysfunction.

Prostate Cancer

Surgery for prostate cancer can cause erection problems by unintentionally injuring nerves and arteries that run near the prostate and act upon the penis. For more click here

Diabetes

Diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 can be caused by too little insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar) and type 2 by resistance to insulin, or both. Diabetes is a common risk factor for erectile dysfunction, and men with diabetes are up to four times as likely as other men to develop ED. They also tend to get it at a younger age. For more click here

Aging

ED is more likely to happen as a man gets older, particularly after he's 60. The occurrence of some degree of ED is 39% in men 40 years old, and 67% in those aged 70 years. ED can happen at any age, even after years of satisfying sex. Nevertheless, age itself doesn't cause ED. Rather, it's the more frequent occurrence in of certain health issues in older men, such as vascular diseases and diabetes, that accounts for the increase in ED with age. For more click here

Psychological Factors

Depression, stress, anxiety, and fear of failure can all affect the erectile capability of a man. However men who experience erectile dysfunction because of physical causes such as prostrate surgery (mentioned below) may also feel depressed, stressed, or anxious. This is depression due to erectile dysfunction and is different from erectile dysfunction due to depression, stress etc. The presence of night erections are often the only way to distinguish. Healthy men have involuntary erections in the early morning and during REM sleep (a stage in the sleep cycle with rapid eye movements). Men with erectile dysfunction due to psychological factors such as stress and anxiety usually maintain these involuntary erections. Men with physical causes of erectile dysfunction (for example; atherosclerosis, smoking, and diabetes) usually do not have these involuntary erections. For more click here

High blood pressure

High blood pressure (also called hypertension) can cause changes in your blood vessels leading to them stiffen or narrow. This can restrict the blood flow to your penis, leading to erectile problems. Some medicines used to treat high blood pressure can also contribute to erectile dysfunction, you should be aware of any medications with such side affects. For more click here

Heart disease and high cholesterol

Heart disease and high cholesterol levels can affect the flow of blood to your penis, leading to erectile dysfunction. High cholesterol levels are responsible for a build up in fatty deposits in the blood vessels leading to disturbances in the flow or a complete block in blood flow. Men with heart disease are twice as likely as other men to develop erectile problems. For more click here

Alcohol

Excessive alcohol use has long been recognised as one cause of ED, leading to the euphemism "brewer's droop". Alcoholism, in addition to causing nerve damage, can lead to atrophy of the testicles and lower testosterone levels which can led to erectile dysfunction. For more click here

To find out about what treatments are available click here