Erectile dysfunction is a medical term for a more common – male impotence. This condition belongs to sexual disorders and has particular symptoms that differentiate it from other sexual disorders. ED occurs when a man’s penis doesn’t erect or get hard to have sexual intercourse with a partner. The other symptom of this condition is when a man is able to get an erection, but cannot maintain it. ED can occur suddenly or develop gradually. Some men slowly lose the rigidity of their erections or the time of erections; this becomes more visible with age.

The major causes of this condition include:

• Vascular diseases involving problems with blood vessels. Vascular diseases can limit or even prevent the necessary amount of blood flowing to or staying in the penis.
• Neurological disorders or in other words nerve damage. Nerves play a great role in a process of getting and keeping an erection. Damaged nerves cannot work properly and a person has erectile problems. Nerve damage may be caused by diabetes, multiple sclerosis, prostate surgery or damage to the spinal cord.
• Psychological factors – depression, anxiety, guilt or fear very often cause sexual problems. Doctors believe that physical factors cause impotence in most men but the situation gets worse when a person is depressed due to the previous failures.
• There is a variety of medications which may provoke sexual problems.

Erectile dysfunction is a serious problem requiring special treatment. Fortunately doctors can diagnose the underlying cause of the problem and adjust the necessary treatment which can help to restore and renew sexual life of many men. So it is absolutely right to visit a medical professional and tell him about your symptoms and your concern, and your expectations from a treatment.