ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION - Are You At Risk?

Many men experience occasional problems achieving an erection. This may sometimes be due to fatigue, anxiety or illness. However, failure to do so more than 50% of the time may indicate that the problem requires treatment.

Find out if you are at risk by taking this simple quiz.

1. Are you overweight?

2. Do you smoke or consume alcohol?

3. Do you have any of the following conditions?

• Diabetes

• Hypertension

• Atherosclerosis

• High cholesterol

• Kidney disease

4. How often do you exercise?

5. How often do you feel stressed or depressed?

6. How old are you?

Answers:

1. Men who are overweight are more likely to have ED.

2. Smoking and regular consumption of alcohol damage blood vessels and reduce blood flow to the penis over time.

3. Some medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, kidney disease and atherosclerosis are risk factors for developing ED.

4. Regular exercise reduces your risk of developing ED.

5. Stress and depression are major psychological causes of ED.

6. The incidence of ED increases significantly after the age of 50.

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION - QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR DOCTOR

1.  Is my ED the result of an underlying illness?

2.  Could there be a psychological component resulting in my ED?

3.  Could any of the medication I am taking be contributing to my ED?

4.  Is there any medication I can take for my ED?  Is such medication suitable for me?

5.  If oral medication isn't for me, then what are my options?

ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION - FEELINGS THAT CAN LEAD TO YOU DEVELOPING ED

The mind plays a very important role in sex.  It has been said that the biggest sex organ is the brain. Psychological factors thus play a large part in erectile dysfunction.  It is often said that erectile dysfunction begets erectile dysfunction, in that once you fail in bed, the stress and anxiety makes it highly likely that you will fail again.  With each failed encounter, your confidence level drops and and makes further attempts more difficult.


The following feelings may predispose you to developing ED.  Do recognize them, watch out for them and manage them early.

• Stress from any source eg work, family

• Performance anxiety, perhaps from a previous bad experience or episode of ED

• Relationship problems with partner

• Depression

• Feeling self conscious

• Thinking that your partner is reacting negatively to you

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