"What Men Don't Know About Impotence!"

What are the causes of male impotence?

Historically, when an ompotent individual consulted his physician concerning impotence he was usually informed there were no known physiological answers concerning male impotence.  Today, a generation of impotence research has resulted in significant advances in both the diagnosis and treatment of impotence. Physicians now understand that approximately eighty-five percent of male impotence is attributable to physical/organic conditions while only fifteen percent is due to psychological or mixed origin (both psychological and organic).  Some important causes of physiological impotence are as follows:

Vascular Disease is the leading cause of male impotence. Vascular disorders including arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), hypertension, hypercholestremia and other conditions which interfere with the blood flow to the penis.  Additionally, "venous leakage" also contributes to poor erections.  This impotence condition occurs when the penile veins are unable to constrict efficiently during an erection.  When these veins "leak" blood escapes to the periphery resulting in a poor erection

Diabetes is another common cause of impotence. Approximately fifty percent of men with diabetes (insulin dependent) experience some degree of impotence after the age of fifty-five.  Diabetes results in poor circulation and/or peripheral neuropathy.  When the nerves are involved sexual stimuli are not transmitted appropriately to or from the brain and impotence develops.

Prescription medications often cause impotence as a side effect.  Some two hundred known medications fall into this category including:

Substance Abuse can also negatively effect male potency.  The chronic use of cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, steroids etc. often results in male impotence, as well as a decrease in desire.  Excessive tobacco use can also attribute to impotence by accentuating the effects of other risk factor such as vascular disease or hypertension.

Radical Pelvic Surgery also result in male impotence. Surgical procedures involving the prostate gland, bladder or colon may interfere with the nerves involved in the erectile response.  Radiation therapy for cancer may also effect the erectile process.

Neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injuries, long term effects of diabetes can also result in the disruption of the normal sequence of events necessary for an erection to occur. 

Deficiencies in the Endocrine System are another source of impotence. Low levels of testosterone or thyroid hormone can interfere with the stimulation process necessary in the erection sequence.  Excessive production of prolactin by the pituitary gland may contribute to decreased levels of testosterone resulting in a lack of desire.  Diabetes once again enters the scenario as it is classified as an endocrine disorder.

Psychological impotence is usually diagnosed when no physical causes can be defined.  Pure psychological impotence usually occurs suddenly without warning as opposed to physical impotence that may gradually develop over years.  Some common causes of psychological impotence are as follows:

• Performance anxiety is one of the most common causes of psychological impotence.  When a man feels pressured to achieve or maintain an erection, he will commonly become anxious and nervous when in a sexually demanding situation.  Stress increases the body's production of catecholamines such as adrenaline and nor- adrenaline, which act as erection inhibitors.  The release of these inhibitors further contributes to failure resulting in more anxiety.  Therefore, the cycle begins, increased stress resulting in increased catecholomines that further inhibits the erectile process.
• Depression is another cause of psychogenic impotence.  Unfortunately, many of the popular antidepressant medications (for a list see prescription medications in the next section) have side effects which include erectile failure.

Anatomical Deviation of the Penis, Peyronies Disease, may also cause impotence.  This condition usually develops from an inflammatory process and results in fibrous scaring of the penis.  (The cause of this process is not yet understood)  However, when an erection does occur, there is a bending of the penis secondary to the scar tissue.  This curvature may interfere with erectile capacity and/or ejaculation.

What are the Impotence treatment options?

Until recently, male impotence individuals who sought medical treatment for impotence were told "It's all in your head".  Physicians labeled these impotence individuals with a psychological disorder and they were referred to impotence counseling.  Today, there are many impotence treatment options available, the impotence treatment option you choose should be specific and responsive to your needs and expectations as well as your partners.  The following is a summary of the more popular impotence treatment options available today:

Oral Medications one in particular Viagra® (Sildenafil Citrate) has change the course of male impotence treatment for impotence. Never has so much Viagra users enthusiasm surrounded a impotence prescription medication.  In the first six months alone, Pfizer's sales of the blue diamond shaped impotence tablet topped 50 million. Viagra® impotence treatment is dispensed as a pill and ingested orally.  Approximately 30-60 minutes later the impotence drug is absorbed into the bloodstream. Viagra® impotence treatment then functions as an inhibitor to an enzyme found mainly in the penis.  By inhibiting this impotence enzyme a series of natural occurring events, take place resulting in increased blood flow to the penis thus generating a fuller erection.  Since the male impotence medication increases the levels of a naturally occurring, process spontaneous erections do not occur.  Viagra® impotence treatment is essentially changing the way we treat impotence. The male impotence medication is manufactured by Pfizer pharmaceuticals.