Erection problems

Heart to Heart Talk By Philip Chua Cebu Daily News

Diminished or ineffective erection in man causing

inability to have a successful intercourse 75 percent of the time is medically termed erectile dysfunction, or ED, for short. This condition affects between 18 to 30 million in the United States, some as early as age 40, according to the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. Others have reported ED to affect some in their mid-20s, mostly due to psychological or medical reason.

Is poor libido same as ED?

No, diminished or absent libido is the lack of sexual desire. This and problems with ejaculation are also forms of male sexual dysfunction, but ED is the actual physical inability to have an effective and sustained erection to achieve ejaculation. Men with ED have normal libido, but have ineffective erection. Usually, there is a physical or medical (hemodynamic) reason for it.

What is the normal mechanism?

When a man is sexually stimulated, the normal hemodynamic is initiated by the brain (the largest sex organ, contrary to what some people erroneously think), which sends electrical impulses to the genital nerves in the male organ, causing the smooth

muscles inside the two longitudinal sausage casing-like chambers (tubular balloons called cavernous spongiosa) inside the penis to dilate (open up and

expand), allowing them to fill up with blood, to

engorge, distend, and stiffen the penis. Any condition that prevents the transmission of the nerve impulses or restricts the flow of blood to the penis results in ED.

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Erection problems