Erectile Dysfunction

When you cannot get an Erection ?

To get a firm erection, you need a healthy brain, pliable blood vessels, fully functional nerves, and certain hormones. If you cannot get or maintain an erection, it is because something is interfering with the nerve messages or the blood flow to your penis. Doctors call this erectile dysfunction (ED), or impotence.

Erectile Dysfunction can have a psychological cause, but most often the cause is physical. Some known physical causes of Erectile Dysfunction (ED) are:

Pelvic trauma, which results from accidental injury or prostate treatment. 
Pelvic surgery for conditions of the prostate, bladder, colon, or rectal area. 
Diabetes can damage the nerves or blood vessels that control blood flow to your penis. If you are diabetic, you are up to five times more likely to have erectile dysfunction. 
Vascular problems, including heart disease and hardening of the arteries, can slow or prevent blood flow into the penis. Sometimes veins in the penis may leak, preventing it from staying hard. 

Neurological disorders include spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis (MS). These, too, can cause erectile dysfunction.
Medications for Erectile Dysfunction include prescriptions for high blood pressure, depression and other conditions. Some may cause impotence by interfering with nerve impulses or blood flow to your penis. A change in dose may reduce the risk. NEVER change your medication without your doctor's permission. Alcoholism disrupts hormone levels. It can also cause permanent nerve damage and impotence.


Recreational drugs are a major cause of erection problems and the number one drug is tobacco. Experiments show that even two cigarettes will markedly decrease the blood flow to the penis if smoked before sex. Marijuana and alcohol are also big causes of erection problems. Many drugs used to treat the type of high blood pressure associated chronic renal insufficiency can cause erectile dysfunction, and many drugs are, by themselves, the culprit.