October 26th, 2010 by admin

The majority of men base their concept of masculinity on how good they are in bed and how large is their penis. With such a simple image, it’s not a big surprise that when sexual problems like erectile dysfunction develop, there are dramatic effects on a man’s self-esteem and image, which no longer corresponds to what he has in mind.

Erectile dysfunction can be caused by various factors that affect the process of erection. And seeing how complex the process is, you will understand how much of a risk there is for a man’s sexual life. The process of erection involves three main stages, each of them being very important for the final result:

• First Stage: Sexual arousal that arises from direct or mental sexual stimulation.
• Second Stage: Nerve signals are transmitted from the brain to the penis, stimulating blood flow into the penile shaft.
• Third Stage: Blood flows into the penis through blood vessels, filling the cavernous bodies and forming an erection.

In case there’s something wrong at any of these stages then erectile dysfunction will definitely occur. In general, the second and third stages of erectile process are more vulnerable to being affected than the first one. However, between 10 and 20 percent of ED patients have problems at the first stage, which leads to psychologically induced erectile dysfunction.

There are many psychological aspects that can lead to erectile problems. Some of the most common psychological issues that are known to cause the problem include stress, depression, anxiety, mental illnesses, problems within the relationship, inhibited sexual desire and fatigue among others.

Quite often, even when there’s a precise physical cause for erectile problems, psychological issues also develop and make the problem even worse. Dealing with such a situation is quite hard, because not only you should overcome the physical problem, but you also have to deal with the psychological aspect of the condition in order to improve it.

Such problems often lead to the so-called performance anxiety, which can impede normal sexual functions due to the fear of being unable to perform up to the expectations of the partner. This alone can be a serious cause for ED, and can also trigger more serious conditions like depression or anxiety disorders. Read the rest of this entry »