Understanding The Male Point Of View On Erectile Dysfunction

Many middle-aged and older men are affected by erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as being an inability to obtain or maintain an adequate erection to achieve satisfactory sexual activity.

ED used to be called "impotence".

As men age they may notice several factors concerning their erections. They may take longer to develop an erection than it used to. The erections may not be as rigid or it may require more direct stimulation to achieve an erection. They may experience less intense orgasms and the volume of ejaculate may be less than previously noted. They may have longer recovery time's in-between erections.

ED often interferes with a male's self-image and can have a devastating affect on his and his partner's sexual life.

ED can also be a symptom in itself of a physical or emotional problem that needs to be treated.

In the past ED used to be something men did not talk about and rarely sought medical help for. As medical science discovers more about ED and there are better treatments, men are now encouraged to seek medical help because ED can be treated and they can return to normal sexual activity. This outcome spurs men on to not only talk about ED with their partners but to talk about it with their doctor as well.

These are the symptoms men report:

An occasional inability to achieve an erection
The inability to maintain an erection throughout the duration of intercourse
Lack of ability to obtain an erection at all

Men understand the basics of what it takes to produce and sustain an erection but in medical terms these are the steps that physically and psychologically must be able to be accomplished in order for an erection to be successful throughout the entire intercourse process.

Step 1: The man must be sexually aroused. Men can become aroused by using sight, touch, hearing or even smell. Thoughts can also arouse them.

Step #2: The man's brain must register the excitement and communicate it to the body's nervous system. This communication if done correctly will activate an increased flow of blood to the penis.

Step #3: There than takes place, a relaxation of the blood vessels that supply blood to the penis, allowing more to flow into the shafts that will in turn produce an erection.

If anything within these 3 steps goes amiss, erectile dysfunction is the result.

The male may indeed understand that something is amiss, but may not understand why or if it is "in his head" or something physically wrong with him. He will fervently hope that whatever is wrong can be fixed. Males need to fix things and this may be the motivating factor that takes him to the doctor's office.

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