It is estimated that half of all men will experience difficulty achieving or maintaining an erection at some point in their lives. This means several million men in the UK are suffering from erectile dysfunction at any one time. Yet despite how common this condition is, unfortunately, only a small percentage of sufferers actually see their doctor about it and even fewer men receive appropriate treatment or therapies.
The occasional failure to establish an erection can often be induced by the stresses of daily life, tiredness, anxiety, or excessive alcohol consumption and it is generally nothing to worry about. In fact, worrying about your erection can increase the likelihood of it happening again due to the fear of failure. When younger men suffer from ED, psychological factors can often play an important role; where this is the case, treatment may be helpful in managing the symptoms.
Ageing and Erectile Dysfunction
However, as we age, physical problems and illnesses start to play an increasingly significant role in the causes of erectile dysfunction, which makes getting to the bottom of why it has occurred so much more important. A good example of this is the way cardiovascular disease can affect erectile function. In men over 40, the penis is often a barometer of male health and when it stops working effectively, one possible underlying cause is atherosclerosis, a disease in which plaque builds up inside your arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart and other parts of your body, and because the arteries supplying the penis are relatively small, changes in blood flow may sometimes become apparent through erectile problems before other cardiovascular symptoms develop. So, the temptation to simply fix the symptom, namely the erection malfunction, without considering why it has happened should be avoided. This is why I hate the “little blue pill” approach. Of course, blood vessel narrowing is not the only cause of ED, and the more common physical causes are listed below.
Common physical causes of erectile dysfunction
Vascular conditions (conditions that disrupt blood flow to the penis) – these include cardiovascular disease (high blood pressure, raised cholesterol), and diabetes
Neurogenic conditions (affecting the nervous system) – these disorders include multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, diabetes, and spinal injuries.
Hormonal conditions – these ailments include an overactive thyroid gland, an underactive thyroid gland, low testosterone, Cushing’s syndrome (high cortisol level), and head or brain injury recently or in the past.
Anatomical conditions (affecting the structure of the penis) – these can include Peyronie’s disease (occurs when fibrous scar tissue develops on the penis and causes curved, painful erections), surgery and radiation therapy for bladder, prostate or rectal cancer, or injury to the penis
Side effects of prescribed drugs
Recreational drug use
Excessive alcohol consumption
Erectile dysfunction is also more likely to occur in people who smoke, are overweight and with low activity levels.
So how do we treat the symptoms of erectile dysfunction?
Achieving an erection is actually a highly complex physiological process that requires successful function and stimulation of neurological, hormonal, vascular, muscular, and of course psychological components. But ultimately, erections depend heavily on blood flow, and some of the most widely used treatments for ED work by helping improve the normal blood-flow response involved in an erection.
Medication can be a useful way to treat the symptoms of erectile dysfunction in some men. Different prescription treatments vary in how quickly they act, how long their effects last, their potential side effects and whether they are suitable alongside other medications or health conditions. Therefore, it is worth speaking to your doctor about which treatment, if any, is right for you.
It is worth stressing that these medications still require sexual arousal to work and will not address every possible cause of erectile dysfunction. Therefore, if you have been suffering from ED for more than a few weeks, it is sensible to see your doctor rather than simply treating the symptom without considering the underlying cause.
The take-home message is that medication can be an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction in some men and can help restore sexual function. But before treating the symptom, it is important to consider the underlying cause. Therefore, it is worth seeing a doctor who understands the processes and conditions that can affect erectile function and getting yourself checked. Treating erectile dysfunction without considering why it has happened is a bit like buying a plaster without ever knowing why you were bleeding in the first place.
