Frequently asked questions

How do I know my ED is not in my head?
Many years ago most men with ED were thought to have psychological problems. This was the result of our ignorance of the normal mechanism of erection and the causes of ED. We now realise that most men have underlying physical causes.

If I worry about my ability to get an erection can I make a bad condition worse?
Nothing happens in the body without the brain; worrying about your ability to get an erection can itself interfere with the process. This condition is called performance anxiety and can be overcome with education and treatment.

Can I combine treatment options?
This is often done but because of the risk of prolonged erections with drug therapy, should only be performed under physician supervision. Ask your doctor for proper instructions.

I was fine until I began taking this new drug, what should I do?
Many drugs can cause ED, but some cannot be changed because the benefits outweigh the adverse effects. If you suspect that a specific drug has caused the problem, discuss the possibility of medication change with your doctor. If you must remain on the specific medication causing the problem, the non invasive ExMI™ treatment option outlined can still be used in most cases.

What causes erectile dysfunction (ED)?
Since an erection requires a precise sequence of events, ED can occur when any of the events is disrupted. The sequence includes nerve impulses in the brain, spinal column, and area around the penis, and response in muscles, fibrous tissues, veins, and arteries in and near the corpora cavernosa (expandable erectile tissues along the length of the penis).

Damage to nerves, arteries, smooth muscles, and fibrous tissues, often as a result of disease, is the most common cause of ED. Diseases—such as diabetes, kidney disease, chronic alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, vascular disease, and neurologic disease—account for about 70 percent of ED cases. Between 35 and 50 percent of men with diabetes experience ED.

Lifestyle choices that contribute to heart disease and vascular problems also raise the risk of erectile dysfunction. Smoking, being overweight, and avoiding exercise are possible causes of ED.

Also, surgery (especially radical prostate and bladder surgery for cancer) can injure nerves and arteries near the penis, causing ED. Injury to the penis, spinal cord, prostate, bladder, and pelvis can lead to ED by harming nerves, smooth muscles, arteries, and fibrous tissues of the corpora cavernosa.

In addition, many common medicines—blood pressure drugs, antihistamines, antidepressants, tranquilizers, appetite suppressants, and cimetidine (an ulcer drug)—can produce ED as a side effect.

Experts believe that psychological factors such as stress, anxiety, guilt, depression, low self-esteem, and fear of sexual failure cause 10 to 20 percent of ED cases. Men with a physical cause for ED frequently experience the same sort of psychological reactions (stress, anxiety, guilt, depression). Other possible causes are smoking, which affects blood flow in veins and arteries, and hormonal abnormalities, such as not enough testosterone.