Medical research indicates that upwards of 50% of men between the ages of 40 and 75 suffer some kind of erectile problem and that most men are afflicted at some time or other with failure to get an erection, regardless of age.

Erectile dysfunction has always been one of the hardest subjects for society and medicinal practitioners to get to grips with and take seriously.
It has also been, throughout history - and continues to be - the number one cause of distress in mens lives.

Erectile dysfunction has only really been considered a seperate branch of medical study since the 1960s.

While gynacology has long been recognised as a speciality for womans' health it was only in the '60s that uniquely male aspects of medicine began to be seen as important and that a branch of medicine dealing with it - called Andrology - came into being.

So Why Can't I Get Or Keep A Hard On?

As we saw in , erection comes about when blood rushes into and is trapped in the penis and that various emotional and physiological systems are bought in to play during the process.

With so many systems involved, there exist a number of reasons why you may not be able to get or keep a hard on but broadly speaking
erectile dysfunction causes fall into one of the following categories:

  • Psychological problems such as stress, tiredness and general lack of libido
  • Physiological problems such as damage to the nerve, tissue or venous structures of the penis or some part of the neurological path from the brain to the penis.
  • Lifestyle. Consumption of alchohol, drugs, problems with obesity and other lifestyle choices can all contribute towards inability to get an erection.
  • Age related decline. This could be down to decreases in male hormones and libido and it could also involve physiological factors which we will be discussing later.
  • Full blown chronic impotance.
    Chronic impotance is characterised by a long term inability to get any degree of erection.

    This condition is thought to affect 10% of the male population and while chronic impotance can be psycological in origin it is much more likely to have an underlying physical cause.

    Chronic Impotance. Why It Could Be A Warning Sign Of A More Serious Condition

    It is important to recognise that while chronic impotance can be psychological in origin, when investigated by a medical specialist, 80%-90% of cases, are found to result from one or more of a variety of underlying medical conditions.
    This includes heart disease, diabetes and prostate problems.

    It may be that you have already seen your doctor and such an underlying condition has already been diagnosed and be subject to treatment.

    If you have not seen your doctor yet, we cannot stress enough that long term inability to get an erection is an important signal that you need to get the problem checked out by a medical specialist.

    Chronic impotance is a strong indicator that something else may be wrong.
    Studies have shown long term inability to get an erection to be a lead indicator for diabetes and heart disease.
    Onset of impotance has been shown to predate a cardiac event, such as a heart attack, by up to 2 years.

    Want To Know More?

    We will be discussing all of these issues in greater depth in the next section, About Erectile Dysfunction.

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