by Carolina Uribe

Created on: April 23, 2008   Last Updated: September 13, 2008

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is the inability to attain an erection, a firm erection, or to maintain one long enough for satisfactory intercourse due to insufficient blood flow to the penis.

The known medical causes for erectile dysfunction can be grouped into 'physical' and psychological' conditions. About 8 in 10 cases of ED are due to physical causes and that can range from: reduced blood flow to the penis , diseases or injuries which affect the nerves going to it; side-effect symptoms on certain prescription drugs; hormone disorders (like lack of testosterone); alcohol and drug abuse; overweight; inactivity; and cycling.

The most common factors for mental health conditions that may cause to develop ED are: stress; anxiety; relation difficulties; and depression. This type can develop quite suddenly as a symptom of a mental health problem, but may resolve as suddenly as your mental state improves. As a rule, a psychological cause is more likely for the ED than a physical cause.

Talking to your local GP or urologist and having some tests done will help diagnose your problem. Theses test will normally check blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol and the levels of testosterone in your blood. Further heart tracing test (EGC) might be necessary if a heart disease is suspected.

Most of ED conditions can be treated in a variety of ways. In example:

Taking tablets such as Viagra, Ciales, Levitra or Uprima help dilating the blood vessels before intercourse. But they wont work unless you are sexually aroused.

Pelvic floor muscle exercises can help 4 in 10 men to regain normal erectile function.

Injection treatments. These were very common before the use of tablets and have the same effects, with the difference that they will work even if you are not sexually aroused.

Urethral medication. By placing a small pellet at the end of the urethra that contains similar medication to the injection treatments.

Vacuum devices. There are several different devices. Basically, you put your penis into a plastic container. A pump then sucks out the air from the container to create a vacuum. This causes blood to be drawn into the penis and cause an erection. When erect, a rubber band is placed at the base of the penis to maintain the erection.

Penile Prosthesis. A surgeon can insert a 'rod' permanently into the penis. The most sophisticated type can be inflated with an inbuilt pump to cause an erection. The more basic type keeps the penis rigid all the time.

Counseling. If the result of ED is caused by psychological problems, a sex therapy or a "couple counselor" will be very useful.

Erectile Dysfunction can develop at any age but it is most common among the age range between 40 and 70 and it is suffered by a hundred million men worldwide. Nowadays is not a taboo issue anymore and talking to a specialist can help improve your life-style in many different ways.

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