Erectile Dysfunction Causes

When a man becomes sexually aroused, the process involves the brain, hormones, nerves, muscles, blood vessels, and even emotions. If one of these systems is adversely affected, or the way they in which work together is disrupted, the outcome can be erectile dysfunction. 

To understand the possible physical causes of erectile dysfunction (ED), it’s necessary to also understand the physical processes involved in an erection. An erection occurs when the two cylinders called corpus cavernosum that run along the length of the penis have an increased blood flow that is several times more than the normal amount. As long as sexual arousal continues, this higher rate of blood flow into the penis limits the flow of blood out of the penis and it remains firm until the sexual excitement ceases.

Physical Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
Doctors used to believe that erectile dysfunction was purely psychological. However, it is known today that it is more often the result of physical issues like a chronic health problem, medication, or a combination of things. The most common physical causes are a reduction in blood flow to the penis or some type of nerve damage. These causes are usually brought about by some underlying condition.

1. Vascular disease like hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis) brings on reduced flow of blood through the entire body and can lead to ED. This condition is usually connected to a man’s age and accounts for around 50% of ED in men over 60. Smoking makes the risk of erectile dysfunction greater if you have arteriosclerosis.

2. Diabetes and its high levels of blood sugar can cause damage to the small blood vessels and nerves in the body, resulting in impaired blood flow and nerve impulses required for an erection.

3. There are over 200 common prescription medications that can contribute to impotence. This includes things like blood pressure and heart medications, antidepressants, and sedatives. Even long term use of alcohol and recreational drugs can bring on erectile dysfunction.

4. Although this accounts for less than 5% of cases of ED, hormone imbalances, like a testosterone deficiency, can lessen desire and result in the loss of an erection.

There are several other less common physical reasons that a man may suffer from ED like neurological problems, pelvic trauma, and radiation treatments. Surgery for things like bladder or prostate cancer sometimes requires that tissue and nerves surrounding the cancerous tumor be removed, increasing the chances of ED.

Psychological Causes of Erectile Dysfunction
The brain and emotions are two of things that play a part in triggering an erection. There are a lot of things that get in the way of the sexual feelings that cause an erection and this can lead to erectile dysfunction. 

Stress and anxiety, guilt, and depression can all be the reason for loss of sexual desire. Often there is a domino effect: if a man undergoes the loss of his erection, then he may worry that it is going to happen next time. Once the worry about sexual performance starts there can be chronic problems during sex. For someone already suffering from erectile dysfunction for physical reasons, this can amplify the emotional anxieties about sexual performance.

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