Sexual Potency

There are a number of devices that can help men to achieve a better erection and to have successful sex.
Vacuum pumps.
A pump is a cylinder which you put over your penis. You then pump out the air. That should ‘suck’ your penis into an erection – which, however, tends to be a bit cold and [...]

Oral drugs which induce erection have revolutionised the treatment of ED over the last seven years. They don’t work for everybody, but they do work for the majority – even in diabetes. They can also help people with neurological and spinal problems.
Also, the choice of available drugs means that if one particular drug doesn’t suit [...]

Alcohol and tobacco use
Fatigue
Brain or spinal-cord injuries
Hypogonadism (which leads to lower testosterone levels)
Liver or kidney failure
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson’s disease
Radiation therapy to the testicles
Stroke
Some types of prostate or bladder surgery

How do I know my ED is not in my head?
Many years ago most men with ED were thought to have psychological problems. This was the result of our ignorance of the normal mechanism of erection and the causes of ED. We now realize that most men have underlying physical causes.
If I worry about my [...]

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a medical term that describes the inability to achieve and or maintain an erect penis adequate for sexual function. This condition is one of the most common sexual problems for men and the number of men suffering from ED increases with age. Approximately 25 million American men suffer from ED, although [...]

Most physicians suggest that treatments proceed from least to most invasive. For some men, making a few healthy lifestyle changes may solve the problem. Quitting smoking, losing excess weight, and increasing physical activity may help some men regain sexual function.
Cutting back on any drugs with harmful side effects is considered next. For example, drugs for [...]

Patient History
Medical and sexual histories help define the degree and nature of ED. A medical history can disclose diseases that lead to ED, while a simple recounting of sexual activity might distinguish among problems with sexual desire, erection, ejaculation, or orgasm.
Using certain prescription or illegal drugs can suggest a chemical cause, since drug effects account [...]

Since an erection requires a precise sequence of events, ED can occur when any of the events is disrupted. The sequence includes nerve impulses in the brain, spinal column, and area around the penis, and response in muscles, fibrous tissues, veins, and arteries in and near the corpora cavernosa.
Damage to nerves, arteries, smooth muscles, and [...]

The penis contains two chambers called the corpora cavernosa, which run the length of the organ (see figure 1). A spongy tissue fills the chambers. The corpora cavernosa are surrounded by a membrane, called the tunica albuginea. The spongy tissue contains smooth muscles, fibrous tissues, spaces, veins, and arteries. The urethra, which is the channel [...]

Erectile dysfunction, sometimes called “impotence,” is the repeated inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse. The word “impotence” may also be used to describe other problems that interfere with sexual intercourse and reproduction, such as lack of sexual desire and problems with ejaculation or orgasm. Using the term erectile dysfunction [...]