Male “powerlessness” can be a symptom of an illness. Instead of being ashamed, go get yourself tested

Erectile dysfunction is often seen as an embarrassing topic and a male impotence that is not talked about. However, this dysfunction can be an important alarm signal that something bad is happening in the male body. What?

1. Erection is a complex process involving the endocrine, nervous and circulatory systems
2. Certain diseases make themselves known even several years in advance – impotence is one of the symptoms
3. Erection in young men – up to 25 years of age it can last almost an hour, but with age it lasts shorter and shorter
4. There are factors that can stimulate or slow down an erection
5. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

Erection – what is it?

An erection is a response to psychological and sensory stimuli that reach the brain. Erection is caused by erotic content or awareness of sexual contact. It starts with physical or mental arousal and the duration varies with the age of the man.

An erection happens when there are certain reactions in the body:

1. erotic stimuli go to the brain
2. from the brain, the impulse reaches the spinal cord
3. the nerves release nitric oxide to open the arteries in the penis
4. first the blood fills the spongy body in the penis (here is the urethra) and then the cavernous bodies, which are “blood balloons”
5. the penis swells and rises
6. there is a blockage – vasoconstriction of the member – preserving an erection

As the sexologist Andrzej Gryżewski explains in the book entitled The “art of handling the penis” erection does not depend on the will of the man and is a complicated mechanism, and with age the sexual automatism disappears. An erection lasts an average of fifty-four minutes up to the age of 25, and a maximum of seven minutes over the age of 65.

Erection – stimulants and inhibitors

There are stimuli to stimulate and suppress erection. The first ones include: visual, tactile and auditory impulses, memories, warmth, and sexual fantasies. On the other hand, erection is stopped by: anxiety, fear, cold, depressed mood, task-oriented thinking, but also some civilization diseases.

Erectile dysfunction – is one of the symptoms of dangerous diseases

Experts indicate that over 3 million men in Poland may have an erection problem, but only 15 percent. seeks specialist help, e.g. from a sexologist. Unfortunately, impotence may result not only from age, mental state or trauma, but is also often associated with serious diseases: diabetes, heart disease, persistent high cholesterol or hypertension. It is generally about disorders of the circulatory and nervous system, which play a key role in the transmission of stimuli and blood to the penis.

Erectile dysfunction – specific causes

The British Association of Urological Surgeons in research proves that in 90 percent Men who have an erection problem have at least one physical cause of the problem. 40 percent of them suffer from cardiovascular diseases. In contrast, diabetes affects 33 percent. of them.

Therefore, it is worth realizing that the list of diseases is not limited to these two diseases. Impotence can also herald Parkinson’s disease or multiple sclerosis, occur after various injuries or surgeries carried out in the pelvic area (prostate, intestinal diseases) or as a result of oncological therapy.