Not Your Fault: 6 Physical Conditions That Cause Erectile Dysfunction

Sex is supposed to be fun, exciting and pleasurable. It allows you to do and try different things to make your life worth living. In fact, it gives you a different sensation that no amount of a big bowl of ice cream could beat – except for some. perhaps. 
Stress, a lack of sleep and a poor diet are already known factors that could affect your ability to get your man up. The good news is, these factors are reversible and something you can get away from for good. However, there are other factors, which can be difficult to deal with, especially when you want to give your sex life a boost. An example of this is the existence of a medical condition.
There are medical and psychological conditions that could be difficult for you to achieve and maintain an erection. Regardless of how many Viagra pills you take, these physical conditions won’t make you a happy guy in bed.

1. Cardiovascular Disease

Generally, cardiovascular disease is a collective term to describe a heart or blood vessel condition.
It can either be a reduction of blood flow to any part of the body due to blood clots or thrombosis, or a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries, causing them to narrow and harden, known as atherosclerosis.
There are four main types of cardiovascular disease: coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and aortic disease. Aside from this, it is also one of the top killers around the world, affecting both men and women.
What does it have to do with erection? The answer is simple: blood flow.
Keep in mind that an erection is all about blood flow. When your penis gets an ample supply of blood, it will reward your body by giving you the much-needed erection.
On the other hand, if there is blockage somewhere that restricts the proper blood flow, and both your brain and body do not get an ample supply of oxygen to function properly, this might be the reason why you can’t get your man up.
The good news is that you can prevent cardiovascular diseases from haunting you. It’s all about making healthy lifestyle changes, such as giving up smoking, eating healthy, keeping your weight in a healthy range and exercising regularly.

2. Diabetes

Did you know that erectile dysfunction is common in men who have diabetes? By definition, diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes your blood sugar levels to become exceptionally high. Here are the two main types of diabetes:

• Type 1: The body does not produce insulin at all.
• Type 2: The body does not produce enough insulin to be able to function well, known as insulin deficiency, or your body’s cells do not react to insulin. This is also known as insulin resistance.

How does diabetes affect your erections? Again, it all boils down to blood flow.
Diabetes affects your body’s ability to utilize insulin. Your pancreas produces this hormone to control the amount of glucose in your blood. This sugar will move from your blood to the cells and thereafter converted into energy. If left untreated, could damage the nerves and blood vessels, thereby affecting your body’s ability to achieve and maintain an erection.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for diabetes. The best you can do is to maintain blood glucose levels as normal as possible, even if it means injecting insulin.
At the same time, maintaining a healthy weight, regular workout and eating a healthy, balanced diet could help a lot in minimizing possible complications, especially in the area down there.

3. Neurological Disorders

Fact: you need your brain and your entire nervous system to get an erection. After all, your brain does the dictating, right?
Hence, any condition that disrupts the signals from your brain down to your penis can make it difficult for you to get your man up. If you are suffering from nerve conditions, it only follows that your reproductive system suffers, as well.
Examples of neurological disorders that affect your ability to achieve erection are as follows:

• Multiple Sclerosis – This condition affects the nerves in your brain and spinal cord, which makes it difficult for you in terms of vision, muscle movement and balance.
• Parkinson’s Disease–This is characterized by tremors or involuntary shaking of the body parts, slow movements and stiff inflexible muscles due to a reduction of dopamine in the brain.
• Strokes–This is a life-threatening condition that happens when the blood supply to certain parts of your brain is cut off due to blood clots or bursting of blood vessels.
• Alzheimer’s Disease–This is the most common form of dementia that affects one’s memory, behavior and thinking due to poor performance of certain parts of the brain cells.

Except for strokes that you can treat with medication, there is still no available treatment that could make any of these conditions go away.
The good news is experts are slowly uncovering new treatments that could help alleviate many conditions, minimize symptoms and eventually help improve the quality of life.

4. Hormonal Conditions

Hormones play an important role in your erections. Take the case of testosterone. It is important to maintain the right levels of T because this hormone is responsible for your sex drive.Hence, anything that disrupts the balance could lead to difficulty in the erection department.
Here are examples of hormonal conditions that could affect your erections:

• Hypogonadism–Affects the production of testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, and causes it to dip in abnormally low levels.
• Hyperthyroidism–Characterized as an overactive thyroid gland where you body produces too much thyroid hormone.
• Hypothyroidism – The opposite of hyperthyroidism, whenyou body doesn’t produce enough thyroid hormone.
• Cushing’s Syndrome–This condition is often a side effect of treatment with corticosteroids, wherein your body produces too much cortisol hormone.

It is important that you seek medical treatment when you experience hormone problems. Hormonal conditions respond well to treatments and medications can control and eventually ease the symptoms. If all else fails, surgery may be your best solution.

5. Peyronie’s Disease

One of the conditions that could affect your erection in a big way is Peyronie’s disease. This is a type of disorder where scar tissue, called plaque, forms in the top or bottom of the penis.Then, the plaque, which is non-cancerous, builds inside the penile tissues and turns into a thick, elastic membrane known as tunica albuginea.
Peyronie’s disease starts with inflammation and swelling. During the process of plaque buildup, the penis bends or curves until it forms a hard scar. This makes erection painful and sex difficult to impossible.
It is still unclear what causes Peyronie’s disease. However, this disease may be due to any of the following:

• Hereditary, meaning it runs in your family.
• Acute injury to the penis due to vigorous sexual or non-sexual activities.
• Repeated or chronic injury to the penis caused by hitting and bending.
• Autoimmune disease wherein the body’s immune system attacks its own cells and body organs.

Peyronie’s disease may be treated through surgical or non-surgical means, depending on the gravity of the injury. Oral medications, injections and therapies are available to get rid of the plaque. If your symptoms have not yet improved or both erection and sex are painful, then surgery could be the best solution. Sticking to healthy lifestyle habits may also help you minimize the risks.

6. Psychological Issues

Here’s the thing – your brain works wonders. Hence, anything that disrupts its normal and natural activity could affect the way your body functions, including getting an erection. Apparently, medical conditions are not the only reasons you can’t get your man up.
If you are perfectly fine with no existing serious medical conditions, then check your psychological health. If you are under stress, feeling depressed or anxious most of the time, then you’ve found the culprit.
Erectile dysfunction is both physical and psychological. Take the case of Peyronie’s disease. This will make it hard for you to achieve an erection, which makes you feel depressed about the situation.
Performance anxiety is also among the culprits for ED. If you are not able to make your man stand, there is fear that you won’t be able to achieve one when the situation calls for it. Any issues in your relationship, previous sexual problems, history of sexual abuse and lack of sexual knowledge could also contribute to ED.
Thankfully, you can do something about it. Seeking professional help in order to address psychological issues is the first step to help you get an erection. Once you are able to face your fears and get the appropriate treatment, you’ll get over your issues in no time.
The key is to address the issues as soon as possible. Don’t wait for your condition to get worse. Seek medical help when needed, take your prescribed medications, and just relax. Your sex life will come around soon.