Mental and Physical Impotence in Men Article

Jun 10

Mental and Physical Impotence in Men

Male impotence, or in medically correct term, erectile dysfunction is the inability of a person to develop or maintain erection long enough for a successful penetration. There are two classifications of impotence, categorized according to their causes. The first one is Psychogenic Impotence, which is due to mental factors; and Organic Impotence, also known as physical impotence. This is the kind of impotence caused by bodily malfunction.

There are various causes of psychological male impotence and it would be a complex task to list them all. The leading causes however are depression, performance anxiety, marital stress or relationship problems, life crisis, financial difficulties, religious repression, or some type of mental illness. The most common among these are depression and anxiety. The treatment for this type of impotence depends upon the cause.

In contrast to Psychogenic Impotence, the major causes of Organic or Physical Impotence can be easily listed. These are the causes along with their respective descriptions:

a) Vascular Causes
Inadequate blood flow to and from the penis, resulting in low blood pressure in the penile arteries is thought to be one of the common causes of erectile dysfunction. Certain medical disorders such as atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), hypertension, high cholesterol or diabetes impedes blood flow to the penis thus making it difficult to sustain erection or genital swelling.

Penile surgery and injury in the pelvic and abdominal area can also reduce blood flow towards the penis. Smoking also reduces genital blood flow and consequently causes impotence.

b) Neural Causes

Neural damage from medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, and stroke affect the brain's ability to respond to sexual stimulation and cause erectile dysfunction. Impotence is also common for men who have undergone prostectomy - prostate surgery - although it is rare for those who have undergone vasectomy.

c) Hormonal Causes

When levels of androgens, such as testosterone decline, erectile dysfunction could develop considering that such hormones are essential to sexual functions such as erection and maintenance of female libido. Testosterone levels decline by 1% each year for men resulting to erectile dysfunction in later years.
Leading diseases of the endocrine system such as diabetes mellitus, hypogonadism, and hyperprolactinemia may also cause male impotence.

d) Drug - Induced Causes

Certain drugs such as anti - hypertensive, sedatives and beta - blockers such as propanolol and atenolol cause impotence. Steroids is also a possible cause of erectile dysfunction. Finasteride, a drug used to treat enlarged prostate and to stimulate hair growth, may decrease libido, and in some individuals cause male impotence and ejaculatory problems. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac cause erectile dysfunction mainly because of their effect on serotonin metabolism. Serotonin inhibits erectile function and sexuality. Alcohol is also a common cause of impotence as its negative effects on sex drive increases with age.