How Do You Fix Erectile Dysfunction?

Nobody should ever suffer in silence if they are struggling, but erectile dysfunction is a condition that is both very common and yet still not talked about enough, even though there is an accessible, effective and relatively common treatment available that can help a remarkable number of people.

Many men will struggle with erectile dysfunction at one point or another in their lives, at least in the loose definition that they struggle to get or keep an erection when they want to.

In many of these cases, it is a temporary condition or has a fairly clear cause, but in other cases, it can have a significant effect on your sex life or mental health.

In the vast majority of cases, ED is treatable, but to understand how and when it can be, it is important to know how it is caused in the first place.

What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction has existed since time immemorial and has been described in some of the earliest ever medical texts, but the mechanics of why some men struggle to get erections have only been properly understood as a physiological condition in the last few decades.

An erection is caused by the dilation of arteries in the penis, allowing blood to flow into it in a way that is controlled by nerves in the pelvis that are connected to the brain.

If there is a disruption to the blood flow or to the nervous system controlling that part of your body, it can make it more difficult or even impossible to get an erection.

Problems With Blood Flow

By far the most common cause of erectile dysfunction is an issue with blood flow, typically the result of vasoconstriction or the narrowing of the blood vessels that supply blood to the penis.

This is the most common cause for ED for people over the age of 40, as the narrowing of arteries is a relatively common part of the ageing process, but it can be caused by a range of lifestyle factors. 

These include:

• Smoking
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Atherosclerosis

Often, the best way to determine if blood flow is the cause outside of talking to your doctor is whether you struggle to get an erection in any circumstances. 

Psychological Anxiety

Alternatively, some causes of erectile dysfunction are psychological in nature, which can affect your ability to get an erection, your sexual desire, or a combination of the two.

The most common causes of this are depression, both due to a lack of sexual desire and the side effects of some antidepressant medication, and anxiety.

Performance anxiety is a particularly common cause amongst younger men, where a specific fear about sex itself is enough to cause some men to be unable to perform.

Other psychological causes include:

• Issues with intimacy, particularly when related to trauma
• Stress, either unrelated or related to issues surrounding sex
• A new relationship or new sexual connection
• Issues within a relationship

For many men with ED, both physical and psychological causes can interconnect. If someone struggles with blood flow, it can create anxiety or a complex around sex that exacerbates the issue.

Other Causes

Other causes can include:

• Low levels of testosterone
• Conditions affecting the thyroid gland
• Nerve damage, either due to a medical condition or injury
• Head injury
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Medication and drug side effects
• Complications that result from surgery or non-surgical procedures
• Cycling with the wrong type of saddle

Whilst not erectile dysfunction, it is also completely normal for men to have a refractory period, where they either cannot get erect again or cannot orgasm again after having sex.

How Does Medication Help Treat Erectile Dysfunction?

Many causes of ED are temporary, and when they are treated or removed, the symptoms disappear as well. However, the primary treatment in the majority of cases of ED is a type of medication known as a PDE-5 inhibitor.

The most common of these is sildenafil, often sold under the brand name Viagra. This medication affects a chemical that widens the flow of blood to the penis and helps a man to maintain an erection if they are sexually aroused.

Other PDE-5 inhibitors include tadalafil (Cialis), vardenafil (Levitra) and avanafil (Spedra).

Can Erectile Dysfunction Help Every Man Struggling With It?

In 80 per cent of cases, these medications will work when taken as directed and required, and in many of these cases will not need to be used regularly, as whilst they are physiological in nature, they can inadvertently help with performance anxiety.

However, they may not work in every single case, particularly if there are other root causes, if ED is the result of an injury, or if these medications are not suitable for you. This is usually the case for people with low blood pressure or who take nitrate medications for conditions such as angina.

What Other Treatments Are Available?

Alternatively, if medicines do not work or cannot be used, there are a range of creams, injections, alternative medications that are inserted into the urethra, vacuum pumps and implants that can help men to get and maintain erections.