What’s causing your ED
ED is not just a sign of age. And it’s not necessarily psychological either, or ‘in the mind’ as some people say. Often there’s a particular physical reason for ED, or it might be caused by a less than healthy lifestyle. Whatever the likely cause in your case, don’t waste time worrying, just talk to your GP. ED can be an early warning sign about your health, giving you the opportunity to identify a possible problem and take the right action now before your symptoms get worse.
Physical causes:
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Prostate problems
- An operation e.g. prostatectomy
- An injury to the pelvis or spinal cord
- Obesity
- Some medications can also cause ED
Lifestyle causes:
- Smoking
- Alcohol use
- Recreational drugs
Psychological causes:
- Lack of self confidence
- Life stress
- Relationship problems
What starts (and stops) an erection
In order to get an erection, signals from the brain tell the blood vessels in the penis to relax, which allows more blood to flow into it, causing the penis to become hard. This process can be affected by both physical and psychological factors, such as:
Vascular problems can mean that not enough blood enters the penis, or doesn’t stay there long enough to maintain an erection. This can be due to smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or high cholesterol levels.
Neurological impacts, such as spinal injury, neurological disorders or surgery in the pelvic area, can mean that messages from the brain are not received by the penis, therefore your body does not produce an erection.
Hormonal levels, can be associated with erectile dysfunction. A significantly low blood level of the male sex hormone, testosterone, can lead to impotence and problems with sexual desire (libido).
Medication side effects sometimes cause erectile dysfunction, especially drugs used in antihypertensive, antipsychotic or antidepressant treatments.
Psychological factors can stop you enjoying the sex life you want. These may include stress at work, problems at home, or concerns about a relationship, as well as reduced confidence in your ability to have sex.