What is Impotence – causes, first signs and treatment
Many modern men have problems with the functioning of the genitourinary system. Such diseases include erectile (sexual) disorder or impotence. This ailment is characterized by the impossibility of the appearance or maintenance of a prolonged erection, which leads to an inferior sexual intercourse. There are a number of causes of impotence in men, depending on certain factors.
What is impotence in men
A male disease in which a weak erection or its complete absence is observed is impotence. In medicine, this deviation is called erectile dysfunction. Its symptoms and causes appear on a number of factors. As a rule, a third of males aged 18 to 60 suffer from impotence. There are several types of disease:
- Organic impotence. This type of sexual deviation occurs with violations of sexual arousal. Sexual attraction to a woman (libido) is normal. The structure of the penis is not broken, but there is no erection.
- Psychogenic erectile dysfunction – serious malfunctions in the development of an excitation pulse, which is primary for the activation of erectile function.
- A mixed form of impotence in a man is a combination of the first two types. It is recorded very often, because one mechanism of the disease triggers another.
Signs
Signs of sexual impotence depend on the type of disease. Before you consider in detail the causes of male impotence, it is worthwhile to dwell on its main symptoms:
- the absence of an involuntary erection at any time of the day;
- a significant decrease or complete disappearance of erectile function (a man can not strain the penis even in the presence of strong excitement);
- premature ejaculation (ejaculation), which is fixed in men with significant sexual experience;
- insufficient level of erection (the penis is enlarged, but its size is not enough for a full sexual intercourse);
- a strong decrease or lack of libido;
- inability to normal coitus (sexual intercourse), due to short-term erection.
Causes of occurrence
Erectile dysfunction is diagnosed as a separate disease or a consequence of pathologies, so the causes of impotence are different. They have a significant impact on the mechanisms and levels of bringing the penis into a state of full erection. Bottom line: problems of a physical and psychological nature. Sexual impotence in men is formed for the following reasons:
- physical stress;
- psychological issues;
- neurological abnormalities;
- manifestation of diseases of the endocrine system;
- vascular damage;
- violations of the liver (more often liver failure);
- overweight or malnutrition, diabetes;
- injuries, diseases of the genitals of a man;
- hypertension, problems with the cardiovascular system;
- impotence can trigger the use of certain medications;
- bad habits (addiction, smoking, alcoholism);
- irregular sex life, frequent masturbation.
Psychological
Often, erectile dysfunction is associated with psychological causes. The frustration of such a plan is caused by childhood, adolescent psychological trauma. Problems arise due to the nuances of upbringing, sexually transmitted diseases, fear of pregnancy, lack of sexual experience. As a rule, patients of mature age independently “heal” of psychological impotence, and young guys need the help of a psychologist and sexologist.
Vascular
The most common catalysts for sexual dysfunction are the vascular causes of male impotence. Vasculogenous (vascular) impotence is a disorder that appears due to the functional and organic transformations of the penis vessels. The disease occurs for two reasons:
- increased outflow of blood from the cavernous bodies of male dignity at the time of erection (there is a decrease in the activity of venous sphincters that regulate the level of blood pressure in the cavernous bodies when the penis is excited);
- violation of the flow of blood into the cavernous bodies of the male penis.
Vascular impotence develops in the process of the following diseases:
- phlebeurysm;
- diabetes;
- atherosclerosis;
- injuries of the pelvis, perineum.
Hormonal
Causes of impotence in men can be hormonal. The essence of the problem is that the body has a deficiency of testosterone. An insufficient amount of this important hormone occurs when the endocrine system malfunctions. Such disorders cause increased production of prolactin, which actively blocks testosterone. As a result, all reactions that are responsible for a full erection are slowed down. If you believe medical research, then hormonal impotence is often diagnosed in men of the middle age category and advanced years.
Neurogenic
Erectile dysfunction sometimes appears for neurogenic reasons. It can be provoked by diseases that occur against the background of pathologies of the functioning of the spinal cord, central nervous system, nerve endings of the pelvic organs. Neurogenic impotence in a man is often observed in the presence of such diseases and abnormalities:
- multiple sclerosis;
- Parkinson’s disease;
- the appearance of malignant tumors;
- stroke;
- hernia;
- Alzheimer’s disease;
- spinal cord injury;
- syringomyelia (a disease of the central nervous system in which the main channel of the spinal cord expands and cavities with cerebrospinal fluid form near it).
Latrogenic
After prolonged use of medications prescribed for the treatment of psychological disorders, gout, cardiovascular diseases, stomach ulcers, iatrogenic impotence is often observed. This may be due to the appointment of drugs that are contraindicated in the patient. Still need to consider the illiterate use of medications. If you replace the medicine with an analog or refuse to take it, then in most cases an erection is restored.
Causes of impotence in men at 40
Modern representatives of the stronger sex, who have reached the forty-year mark, suffer from impotence in 48% of cases. There are many reasons for the appearance of sexual impotence at the age of 40. The main factors that have a negative effect on the potency of this age category of men are:
- improper diet;
- mental disorders;
- excessive alcohol consumption;
- treatment with certain medications;
- heredity;
- smoking;
- severe forms of infectious or inflammatory diseases.
Causes of impotence in men after 50
After 50 years, a man has a weakening erection. Sometimes this fact is associated with age-related physiological changes, a decrease in testosterone production, but often impotence is secondary. Its identification is explained by diseases that are characteristic of this age group. The main catalysts for erectile dysfunction after 50 years are considered such factors:
- atherosclerosis;
- deviations of the endocrine system;
- psychological disorders;
- diabetes;
- neurology;
- diseases of the reproductive system of a chronic form (orchitis, prostatitis, urethritis, and so on);
- bad habits (smoking, drug addiction, alcohol abuse);
- the use of harmful products;
- regular intake of specific medications.
Treatment
Therapeutic measures aimed at eliminating male impotence vary in accordance with the type of disease, its severity and patient characteristics. The most effective methods of treating erectile dysfunction are:
- The use of medications.
- Psychotherapy is used to eradicate impotence caused by psychogenic causes. It is also relevant in the treatment of organic type of sexual weakness.
- The vacuum method of treating impotence is characterized by mechanical stimulation of the penis, which is often used in complex therapy.
- Injection The doctor prescribes injections for the man to expand the vessels, in which normal erectile function is restored.
- Surgical intervention is also used in some cases. When circulatory failure is caused by vascular and venous disorders, surgery is necessary. It helps increase blood flow to the corpora cavernosa.