Erectile Dysfunction: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

It is a widespread condition in men. For erection, it is very important to have certain feelings like being confident, relaxed, and excited. If you are feeling stressed or frustrated, then it becomes difficult to maintain or get an erection. Alcohol consumption can also affect your erection.

• Cardiovascular issues: The penis requires a sufficient amount of blood flow for an erection. Health conditions such as atherosclerosis (fat and cholesterol buildup in the walls of arteries), high blood pressure, and heart disease can affect erection by blocking blood flow to the penis.
• Diabetes: Uncontrolled diabetes can affect erection by damaging nerves and blood vessels.
• Neurological disorders: The brain, nerves, and spinal cord send an electrical impulse to your body and also to the penis to take certain actions, like movement. Health conditions like multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease can affect the nerves that are responsible for erection.
• Hormonal imbalances: Hormones are responsible for body functions, like testosterone, which is involved in opening blood vessels to maintain blood flow to the penis. Thus, any hormonal imbalance, specifically testosterone, can affect erection.
• Stress and anxiety: High levels of stress and anxiety can affect erectile function by blocking the brain signals for blood flow in the penis.
• Depression: Depression is a mental condition that can affect erection because of certain feelings like sadness or irritation.
• Relationship issues: Any problem in a relationship can have a psychological (mental) impact on sexual performance and erection.
• Smoking: Tobacco can restrict blood flow by damaging blood vessels. Thus affecting erectile function.
• Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption can cause both physical and mental issues, also affecting erection.
• Physical activity: Lack of physical activity can lead to various health problems, like obesity and cardiovascular issues. Thus affecting erectile function.
• Obesity: Being overweight or obese involves various other health issues like diabetes and heart disease, leading to an affected erection.

The most common symptom of erectile dysfunction is the inability to get or maintain an erection for sexual performance. Other symptoms are:

• Reduced sexual desire.
• Lack of spontaneous (or natural) erection that normally occurs while sleeping.
• Feeling frustrated or embarrassed about sexual performance.
• It requires a high level of stimulation to maintain erection.
• Premature ejaculation (release of semen a few minutes before or after when wanted during sex).
• Sexual performance anxiety.
• Not able to reach orgasm even with sufficient stimulation.
• Delayed ejaculation (not being able to ejaculate when needed or not at all ejaculating).

• Testosterone replacement therapy: This therapy involves replacing testosterone through injections, pellets, gels, or patches for people who have low testosterone levels.
• Oral medication: Oral medication helps in improving blood flow to the penis. They include erectile dysfunction pills like sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), and vardenafil (Levitra), etc.
• Vacuum constriction device: In this, a vacuum is created around the penis to pump blood for erection.
• Penile implants: A surgical procedure in which a device is introduced inside the penis to make it hard.
• Penile shockwave therapy: It improves overall blood flow through sound waves to the erectile tissue in the penis.
• Exercise: Regular exercise and physical activity improve your overall health and might enhance erectile function.
• Healthy diet: A balanced diet promotes cardiovascular health and can help with proper erectile function.
• Stress: Practice meditation and deep breathing to reduce stress and anxiety, which helps improve erection.
• Therapy: Communicating with a sex therapist can help.
• Quit smoking: Tobacco can cause serious health issues, including erectile dysfunction.

These pills are called phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors. They help in improving blood flow inside the penis and thus help in achieving and maintaining erection. They are not suitable for every man (eg. who has heart disease). Furthermore, they have several temporary side effects, like headaches, nasal congestion, and digestive issues. Some of these pills are:

• Sildenafil (Viagra): It is the most widely used pill. It prevents the enzyme PDE5 and increases blood flow to the penis. It is recommended to be taken around 30 minutes before sexual activity. Its effect lasts for few hours.
• Tadalafil (Cialis): It also prevents the enzyme PDE5 and improves blood flow to the penis. It lasts up to 36 hours.
• Vardenafil (Levitra): It also works similarly to Viagra, both in time duration and function.

Always seek professional advice for appropriate treatment if you are suffering from any of the symptoms listed above.