Sexual impotence is also known by another term – erectile dysfunction. This problem affects men and its impact may vary depending on many factors like the person’s age, and physical and psychological condition.
Erectile dysfunction was once labeled as an offshoot of psychic illness, but research in the field through the decades has shown that there are many organic causes for this problem too. Due to the organic nature of the causes, effective treatment measures have been introduced for this condition as well.
The Many Reasons Behind Sexual Impotence
Sexual impotence has physical and psychological causes, and this condition is brought about by physical causes 90% of the time, while psychological problems have been shown to cause impotence 10% of the time.
1. Psychological Causes of Sexual Impotence
The psychological causes behind sexual impotence can range from trauma to depression. Any form of major psychological trauma can cause sexual impotence, and episodes of depression, stress (chronic) and anxiety can cause sexual impotence too.
Sexual impotence that’s caused by depression needs to be handled with care, as frustrations with the condition can lead to further depression, forming a vicious circle in this way. Sometimes men may experience sexual impotence due to performance anxiety, that is, out of nervousness to please their partner. This occurs commonly is casual relationships.
Even environmental factors can affect a person’s libido, as excessive noise and lights can bring down the intimacy between partners. Other factors like fear and fatigue can also cause sexual impotence, even though there are no other physical symptoms of erectile dysfunction. All men experience erections early in the morning due to purely physiological causes, and if such erections occur without any problems, the cause for sexual impotence in bed can be classified as psychological.
2. Physical Causes of Sexual Impotence
There are many physical causes that can cause sexual impotence too, and these causes can range from curable ones to ones that can’t be treated.
- Hormonal disorders and low levels of testosterone can cause sexual impotence
- Sometimes, medication taken for other conditions can interfere with the erection mechanism and cause dysfunction
- When blood supply to the penis is interrupted in anyway, erectile dysfunction is caused. The blood vessels in the penis fail to enlarge and this results in a flaccid penis
- Multisystemic and other complex diseases can cause erectile dysfunction
- Any issues related to the parasympathetic nervous system can also cause sexual impotence
3. Peripheral Vascular Disease
This is one of the major causes of sexual impotence, and this is because many other diseases gradually lead to this condition. Under peripheral vascular disease, the walls of arteries and veins that lead to the genital region are affected and blood flow to the penis is blocked.
Disorders like heart disorders, renal failure, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes can cause contractile walls in the veins to harden or narrow. When plaque settles along the walls of the arteries that lead to the genital region due to such disorders, erectile insufficiency can be caused due to improper blood flow. Indulging is sexual intercourse will not be possible till the penis is erect to an extent, so sexual impotence should be treated once it’s noted.
Vascular problems can be mainly noted in aged individuals, and this condition starts off in a mild way and becomes more severe with the onset of time. Doctors detect this problem in men by using the Doppler Cavernosonogram, which can note the blood flow in the genital region.
4. Medications That Cause Sexual Impotence
There are many medicines that can bring about problems with erectile functionality. Most drugs cause such problems because they affect the central nervous system. Other drugs reduce the overall supply of blood running to the penis or allow the blood vessels to relax too much.
- High blood pressure pills and medication can cause erectile dysfunction and its related problems, and this list includes beta blockers, thiazide diuretics and spironolactone
- Medicines for gastrointestinal ailments like cimetidine can cause problems like sexual impotence
- Some medicines that are taken by patients suffering from neurological disorders can cause erectile dysfunction
- Anxiolytics and antidepressants like phenotiazine can affect the genital region
- Allergy medication can cause sexual impotence too
Substance abuse can cause such problems, because cocaine, cannabis, alcohol and nicotine can provide sexual excitement in low doses. Over a period of time, though, they stop having the same effect and cause chronic impotence.
5. Damage to the Penis
Any form of structural damage caused to the penis can result in erectile dysfunction. Genital herpes is one of the main causes of penile dysfunction, and other causes can include tumors and cysts in the penis and retraction of the foreskin. Peyronie’s disease causes the penis to curve in an abnormal way, and this cause sexual impotence in some cases.
These problems can be easily identified through some tests and diagnostic measures.
