Impotence – Causes & Treatments

A lot of good information and help for impotence is available to people who need it. The popularity of recent treatment has also helped remove some of the stigma associated with discussing impotence as more people realize it is often treatable at all ages.

Keeping in mind that there is usually an underlying physical condition that explains impotence, one’s doctor may be the best person to seek advice from. A doctor can determine whether an underlying physical condition, lifestyle factors, a prescription drug side effect, a psychological factor, or some combination of these is responsible for the impotence. He or she does this by taking a detailed personal and medical history, performing a physical examination, making a psychological evaluation, and running laboratory tests if necessary.

This information is then used to plan the best treatment. Urologists, or doctors who specialize in diseases of the urinary tract, are usually the ones who provide such treatment. A gynecologist, often in consultation with an urologist, may treat female sexual dysfunction.

Counseling can be tremendously helpful, particularly for psychological impotence. Counseling may help couples improve communication skills and communicate their sexual needs better, or provide practical tips for making sex physically fulfilling to both partners. If someone has suffered from abuse or post-traumatic stress disorder, counseling can help inculcate coping skills. People whose impotence is linked to depression, anxiety or stress can also benefit from counseling by a skilled professional and guidance on treatment that may offer relief for both the underlying psychological condition and for impotence.

There are several free and reliable sources on the Internet such as the American Urological Association website, that provide detailed information on the causes and treatment of impotence. These sources may be useful for both the person suffering from impotence and their sexual partner.

Impotence may have a physical, lifestyle, or psychological cause. An underlying medical condition is the most common cause of impotence. Such conditions may interfere with the blood supply to the penis, the generation of nerve impulses involved in getting and maintaining an erection.

Some medical conditions that commonly cause impotence include diabetes, cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, or the hardening of the arteries, kidney disease, and diseases affecting the nervous system. Diabetes causes damage to both blood vessels and nerves. Cardiovascular and other vascular diseases reduce the flow of blood to the penis, and the veins that remove blood from the engorged penis may be leaky. Kidney disease may cause impotence through chemical changes that affect circulating hormones, blood supply, nerves and overall energy. Conditions that affect the brain or nerves, such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, or multiple sclerosis may all interfere with the flow of nerve impulses that are needed for an erection.

Besides medical conditions, surgery that involves the bladder or prostate and pelvic and spinal cord injuries may affect nerves supplying the penis or involved in maintaining an erection. Certain hormonal imbalances such as low testosterone levels can also cause impotence and several types of prescription drugs can cause impotence as a side effect.

Lifestyle factors implicated in impotence are lack of physical exercise, being overweight, and the use of alcohol, smoking and illegal drugs. Alcohol and tobacco cause damage to blood vessels and nerves. Lifestyle factors may exist alone or be accompanied by psychological factors such as depression.

Psychological causes of impotence include stress, anxiety, depression, or guilt. Sometimes, people who have been physically or sexually abused may suffer from psychological impotence. Another cause of psychological impotence is confusion about one’s sexual identity. Often, someone with an underlying physical condition may also be depressed or anxious, adding to the combination of factors causing impotence.

Male impotence, or erectile dysfunction, is the inability to maintain an erection for a long enough time to have sex. A man who suffers from impotence may be unable to have an erection altogether, be unable to maintain it for more than a short period, or may be able to have an erection sometimes and not at other times. Approximately 10 to 15 million American men suffer from some form of impotence. The good news is that it is easy to understand and can be treated in all age groups.

To understand impotence, it helps to have a basic understanding of how an erection happens. The penis has a large amount of spongy tissue, through which blood vessels run, and some muscle. When a man is sexually stimulated through touch or mentally, nerve signals trigger a flow of blood from arteries into the spongy tissue in the penis. This tissue becomes engorged, making the penis erect. When an erection subsides, muscles in the penis contract, effectively squeezing the blood of the spongy tissue through veins. If there is any interference with the nerve signals or blood flow that cause an erection, impotence may result.

In the majority of cases, male impotence has an underlying cause. Diseases like diabetes, alcoholism, and kidney disease may affect both nerve signals and blood flow. Surgery or injuries to the bladder, prostate, and male urethra may cause nerve damage. Cardiovascular disease or other diseases of the blood vessels may interfere with blood flow. Nerve signals may be altered due to psychological reasons including anxiety and stress.

How does one deal with impotence? Going to a doctor is the first step, because this may help identify an underlying medical condition that should be treated. Exercise may reduce impotence in older men. Other lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking and losing weight may also help.