Psychological states: These include stress, depression, lack of stimulus from the brain and performance anxiety.Neurological disorders (such as multiple sclerosis): Nerves that send impulses to the penis can become damaged from stroke, diabetes, or other causes.Vascular disease: Blood supply to the penis can become blocked or narrowed as a result of vascular disease such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).While it is true that some older men may need more stimulation, they should still be able to achieve an erection and enjoy intercourse.ĮD can be caused by a number of factors, including: However, the failure to achieve an erection more than 50% of the time generally means that there is a problem and treatment is needed.ĮD does not have to be a part of getting older. The failure to get an erection less than 20% of the time is not unusual and typically does not require treatment.

Many men do experience occasional failure to achieve erection, which can occur for a variety of reasons, such as drinking too much alcohol, stress, relationship problems, or from being extremely tired. How common is erectile dysfunction?Īpproximately one in 10 adult males will suffer from ED on a long-term basis. ED is not considered normal at any age, and may be associated with other problems that interfere with sexual intercourse, such as lack of desire and problems with orgasm and ejaculation. It is important to understand that in most cases, ED is a symptom of another, underlying problem. Estimates suggest that one of every 10 men will suffer from ED at some point during his lifetime. What is erectile dysfunction (ED)?Įrectile dysfunction (ED) is the inability to get and keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse.

Drogo Montague discusses treatment options for erectile dysfunction.

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