What is erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is the inability to achieve and maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory intercourse. This disorder was once known as impotence. Today, the term is rarely used and is considered obsolete and deprecating.

Erectile dysfunction appears in various forms:

• as a permanent inability to achieve an erection
• as an inability to achieve an erection sufficient for penetration
• as the inability to maintain an erection long enough to successfully complete intercourse

How common is erectile dysfunction

Many men experience erection problems. For some, these problems are not pronounced and do not occur often, while for some they are pronounced and occur often.

One in ten men between the ages of 18 and 40 experience erectile dysfunction

Every second man between the ages of 40 and 70 experiences erectile dysfunction

These are statistics from doctors. At the same time, many drugs and products (dietary supplements) for the treatment of ED are bought without a prescription or contacting a doctor - this statistics cannot be calculated.

There are two main types of erectile dysfunction:

Primary - an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse has never occurred;

Secondary - previously the patient had a normal erection, but now in 25% of cases or more often the erection is insufficient for sexual intercourse.

Erectile dysfunction is one of the main indicators of men's health. An important factor in the development of ED is also stress, which leads to depression, depressed mood, and decreased sexual desire. The incidence of ED in smokers is 15-20% higher than in non-smokers.

Causes of erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction most often occurs due to organic causes. Causes can also be psychogenic or mixed (combination of organic and psychogenic causes).

Psychogenic erectile dysfunction is often found in young men, they are more prone to stress at work, depression, conflicts in the family.

The risk of Erectile dysfunction also increases with excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages, smoking and overweight.

• psychogenic (40%)
• organic (29%)
• mixed (25%)
• unknown causes (6%)

The psychogenic form is divided into two types: generalized and situationally dependent.

The generalized form occurs as a result of a primary lack of sexual desire, a decrease in sexual desire (associated with aging of the body), a permanent suppression of libido.

The situational form can be linked:

• with a partner (lack of sexual desire in a certain situation, due to the sexual preference of the partner, fear of conflict with the partner);
• directly with sexual intercourse (accelerated ejaculation, failure expectation syndrome);
• depressed mood or stress.

Diseases and medications that can cause erectile dysfunction

Diseases that often cause erectile dysfunction:

• atherosclerosis
• hypertension
• diabetes
• hormonal dysfunctions
• obesity
• inflammatory and infectious diseases of the genitourinary system (cystitis, pyelonephritis, epididymitis, prostatitis, paraproctitis),
• Injuries to the groin area, surgical interventions on organs located in the small pelvis
• Spine injuries
• multiple sclerosis;
• Parkinson's disease

Medicines that can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction:

• drugs that act on the heart and blood vessels (for the treatment of high blood pressure, digitalis preparations)
• psychotropic drugs (antipsychotics, antidepressants, anxiolytics)
• other medicines (eg, finasteride for prostate enlargement, anti-epileptics)

Symptoms of erectile dysfunction.

The causes of erectile dysfunction may be different, but the symptoms of this disease always manifest themselves in the same way. When the first symptoms are detected, it is necessary to seek help from a specialist, often the symptoms of erectile dysfunction also serve as markers of other diseases.

General symptoms of erectile dysfunction:

• weakening of erection: in the morning the penis is weakly erect, even during intercourse it does not become hard enough;
• during intercourse, the penis loses its hardness, which makes it impossible to complete it;
• ejaculation occurs with a weak erection or occurs prematurely;
• complete or partial lack of erection during intercourse.

Diagnosis of erectile dysfunction.

• Conversation with a specialist, filling out a questionnaire, a specialist should collect information about previous surgical interventions on the organs of the urinary and reproductive systems, rectum, long-term use of drugs and alcohol abuse;
• At the very beginning, an examination is carried out to assess the state of the cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine and reproductive systems;
• It is necessary to exclude serious diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypogonadism, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, renal failure, neurological and mental disorders;
• The next step will be a thorough examination by a specialist: examination of the body of the penis, prostate gland (to exclude adenoma, prostatitis, tumors, cancer), measuring the size of the testicles (the smaller the size, the less male hormones are produced). Sexual reflexes should also be checked to rule out a neurological cause of impotence;
• Performing an intracavernous vasoactive test. To determine the blood supply to the penis, drugs are used in a test dosage, this method evaluates the blood supply in the vessels of the penis;
• Fixation of nocturnal erections. Monitoring of nocturnal spontaneous erections is carried out for the differential diagnosis of organic and psychogenic forms of ED. Normally, a man should have 5-6 erections per night;
• Determination of fasting blood glucose, lipid profile, total testosterone;
• Doppler ultrasound of the arteries of the penis.

Prevention of erectile dysfunction.

In order for an erection to be stable, and sexual health to be preserved for many years and there are no problems, it is necessary:

• Increase physical activity, the best option is jogging, going to the pool, taking a contrast shower. Be outdoors more often.
• Stick to proper nutrition. Do not eat fatty foods, which contribute to the accumulation of excess weight and, as a result, leads to erectile dysfunction. Products that increase potency: peanuts, pistachios, oranges, lemons, pomegranates, onions, dairy products, meat, fish, shellfish, shrimp, other crustaceans.
• Stop or reduce your consumption of strong coffee and tea.
• Restrict alcohol, quit smoking and drugs.
• Get rid of psychological stress, anxiety, stop quarreling with a partner, stop focusing on previous failures.
• Control blood pressure, because pressure is one of the main causes of erectile dysfunction
• Do not take medications without a doctor's recommendation, as some have a negative effect on potency.
• Avoid tight or tight-fitting underwear. Synthetic underwear, especially tightly fitting, leads to overheating, as a result, the functioning of the ovaries and prostate deteriorates, and as a result, potency decreases. It is necessary to wear loose underwear made of natural fabric.
• Be sexually active. The more often a man has sex (optimally 2-3 times a week), the less often there are problems with potency. Regular ejaculation is a good prevention of prostate edema.