The most common sexual problems that men complain about throughout the years are impotence and decrease of sexual desire. Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction, is characterized by the inability to keep up or get an erection suitable for intercourse. It has various degrees of severity ranging from mild problems and inability to maintain an erection until orgasm to a complete inability to get an erection in the first place.

Erection is a very complex process that is comprised of both psychological and physiological events. First, the brain becomes sexually aroused by an external or internal impulse. This triggers a reaction that sends nervous signals down the spine and affects the blood vessels in the penile area. When these signals are received, blood starts flowing into the penis, forming a solid erection and making the penis ready for sex. As you see, it is quite a complex process and if anything goes wrong at any of the stages then the quality of erection is likely to decrease to various extents.

Surgical intervention into the penile area as well as the spine can lead to erection problems. Diabetes is another common cause for erectile dysfunction, with 35% to 50% of diabetes patients experiencing various degrees of impotence. Erectile dysfunction can also be cause by the use of certain medication that can influence erectile abilities as a side effect. Damage to the penis, pelvis, spine, tissues, nerves and blood vessels in the penile area can also cause erection problems. It is estimated that about 90% of all impotence cases have physiological causes behind them, while only about 10% are psychologically-induced.

Risk factors

The most common risk factors linked to male impotence include diabetes, smoking, alcohol abuse, hypertension and age over 50. This doesn't mean that all men who are older than 50 and having diabetes will experience erectile dysfunction. But if compared to other statistic groups the frequency of impotent men in the groups mentioned earlier is much higher. Lack of proper physical activity and excessive weight can also increase the risk of experiencing erectile dysfunction because these factors contribute to the development of other health conditions that will ultimately lead to impotence (diabetes, hypertension, cancer).

Treatment

The most obvious way you can overcome erectile dysfunction is to eliminate risk factors. For example, if you suffer from diabetes, controlling your sugar levels properly will decrease the chance of experiencing erection problems. Those who have excessive weight will have to get rid of it if you don't want to have erectile issues. However, with drugs like Viagra it has become much easier to deal with erection problems.

Ever since Viagra was introduced back in 1998 it has helped millions of men all over the world in getting their sexual abilities back. The blue pill has become a synonym for erectile dysfunction treatment, however most people don't understand that it's simply a measure to help get an erection, not an instant cure. If you want to experience good quality erections on a regular basis, you can do that without using Viagra each time. But this means that you will have to improve your health significantly in order to eliminate the risk factors contributing to the development of erectile dysfunction.