Failures in the sexual life of a man are often called impotence. However, this is not entirely true.Doctors consider impotence a condition in which a man is under no circumstances able to have sexual intercourse. This, fortunately, doesn’t happen all that often. And random or intermittent erection problems should be callederectile dysfunction .
Before starting a conversation about the problem of erectile dysfunction, it seems necessary to brush up a little on the structure of the penis, as well as modern ideas about how it functions. The male penis consists of 2 cavernous and one spongy body. The cavernous bodies resemble a spindle in shape and are located next to each other, and the spongy body, which passes into the head of the penis, is located under them. The bodies of the penis are not connected by blood vessels. Each body has its own artery, through which blood is delivered to it, and its own veins, through which this blood flows out of it. The bodies of the penis in their structure resemble a sponge. They contain many small gaps, or caverns in Latin. It is this peculiarity of their structure that makes the phenomenon of erection possible. When a man is sexually aroused, the following happens in the penis. The arteries that bring blood to the cavernous and spongy bodies expand, and the veins through which the blood flows out narrow sharply. As a result, a significant amount of blood accumulates in the bodies of the penis, or rather, in their lacunae, each lacunae tenses up, and an erection occurs. This state of the vessels is preserved throughout the erection. At this time, all tissues of the penis, with the exception of the skin, do not receive the blood supply they need, and are in a state of ischemia. With very long sexual intercourse, over time this can lead to certain problems, which we will talk about later. As a result, a significant amount of blood accumulates in the bodies of the penis, or rather, in their lacunae, each lacunae tenses up, and an erection occurs. This state of the vessels is preserved throughout the erection. At this time, all tissues of the penis, with the exception of the skin, do not receive the blood supply they need, and are in a state of ischemia. With very long sexual intercourse, over time this can lead to certain problems, which we will talk about later. As a result, a significant amount of blood accumulates in the bodies of the penis, or rather, in their lacunae, each lacunae tenses up, and an erection occurs. This state of the vessels is preserved throughout the erection. At this time, all tissues of the penis, with the exception of the skin, do not receive the blood supply they need, and are in a state of ischemia. With very long sexual intercourse, over time this can lead to certain problems, which we will talk about later.
Forms and causes of erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction can be caused by several types of causes – endocrine, drug, local, neurological and vascular. All this refers to the organic form of erectile dysfunction, when it is caused by some change or disorder in the body. Much more common is the psychological form of erectile dysfunction, in which the normal sexual life is interfered with exclusively by the neuropsychiatric features of the man. In addition, almost always, erection problems due to organic causes are accompanied by a psychological component, which, after eliminating the root cause, can come out on top.
Endocrine causes of erectile dysfunction
The endocrine causes of erectile dysfunction include primarily hypogonadism – insufficient function of the gonads and low production of the male hormone testosterone. In addition to problems with erection, with all this condition, a man notices an increase in the timbre of his voice, cessation of hair growth on the face and body, deposition of fat on the chest, hips, buttocks. As a rule, such changes occur in severe disorders of the hormonal system of the human body, and in these cases, the help of an endocrinologist is definitely needed. Fortunately, such diseases are relatively rare. Another endocrinological cause of erection problems can be a tumor of the pituitary gland – one of the most important endocrine glands of the human body, which is located in the brain. If such a tumor secretes a hormone called prolactin, then no other changes in the body, except for persistent erectile dysfunction, will be noted. In this case, for diagnosis, it will be necessary not only to examine the hormonal status of a person, but also to perform computed tomography of the brain.
Medical causes of erectile dysfunction
There are several types of foods that can have an adverse effect on the erectile function of the male body. Hormonal products that block the action of male sex hormones (the so-called antiandrogens), as well as products of female sex hormones, cause serious problems with erection due to disruption of the entire hormonal mechanism of its occurrence. Such products are usually prescribed only for serious diseases, the most common of which is prostate cancer. In this case, doctors are guided by the principle of “not to fat”, when, first of all, it will be necessary to extend and make life easier for the sick person as much as possible. However, there are cases when powerful antiandrogens (in another way, even called castration products, I believe, it is clear why) were prescribed by one “kind” doctor to patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (better known as adenoma). Needless to say, they help without fail, but with all this, all the men were horrified to realize that they no longer feel like that. Fortunately, erectile function quickly recovered after the product was discontinued. Other medicinal products that affect erection include all substances with a depressant effect on the cerebral cortex. These are mainly alcohol and narcotic products, which, in addition to affecting the brain, cause a general depletion of the body, which in no way contributes to either erectile function in particular or reproductive function in general. In such cases, in order to restore a normal erection, it is necessary not only to completely cancel the product, but also a properly spent period of reconvolescence. In addition, there are some products, according to the pharmacological classification, belonging to various groups, which have the property of blocking the peripheral nerve endings responsible for the occurrence of an erection.
The most important things to know:
- no one is safe from sexual failure, so you should not take it to heart, but rather relax, calm down, change the situation and try again after a while;
- be sure to consult and undergo a thorough examination by a competent specialist in the field of urology or andrology, if you do not have an erection during masturbation and there is no night and morning erection;
- if you are very worried about periodic erection problems during intercourse, you need the help of a competent sexologist;
- you should not try to increase the duration of sexual intercourse in various artificial ways. You should not continue one sexual intercourse for more than 4 hours, even if you are able to do it without much effort. This is not harmless to the cavernous tissue of the penis, and over time can cause its sclerosis;
- to minimize the likelihood of developing erectile dysfunction: lead a healthy lifestyle, excluding smoking, alcohol and drugs from it; always consult a doctor before taking any medicinal products; have a regular sex life without long periods of abstinence and sexual excesses; be sure to talk to a urologist if you have been injured or have undergone surgery on the perineum or pelvis, if you suffer from diabetes or hypertension. If you follow these simple recommendations, you will almost certainly have a long and joyful sex life.