Impotence Causes & Treatments

Erectile problems, such as impotence, affect around 48% of men in the UK at some point in their lives; and even though it is extremely common, it can still cause embarrassment and upset whilst impacting your mental health. 

But by understanding impotence causes, and treatments available, you can help to increase your confidence and get you feeling more like yourself again. 

What Is Impotence?

Impotence, also known as erectile dysfunction, is the inability to get and maintain an erection that’s sufficient for satisfactory sexual intercourse. It’s the most common sexual problem that men report to their doctors.

The causes can be physical and/or psychological. 

If your problem is physical, then you will experience narrowing of vessels going to the penis, preventing the right amount of blood flow essential to get and maintain an erection.

The main symptom of erectile dysfunction is an inability to get an erection or maintain a firm erection for intercourse. You could have trouble getting an erection, keeping an erection, or experiencing reduced sexual desire.

It happens most often when blood flow in the penis is limited, or the nerves are harmed. One of the reasons this can occur is as a side effect of an illness or medication.

Common Impotence Causes

What are the most common causes of impotence?

Age

It is estimated that by the time a man is in his 40s, he has about a 40% chance of having some form of ED, and this can increase by about 10% per decade.

As men age, the nerves in the penis are less sensitive, and testosterone levels start to decrease. As testosterone levels drop, erectile dysfunction becomes more likely. 

One of the most common causes of impotence is the inability to hold blood in the penis. When this happens, you may be able to get an erection, but it can become difficult to keep it. The blood flows in, but the ageing muscle that surrounds your erectile tissue can’t hold it there. 

Lifestyle

Lifestyle choices can play a big role in causing impotence. 

• Smoking & Alcohol Consumption –  Smoking, bad diet, and excessive alcohol consumption can all contribute to ED. Smoking disrupts blood vessels in the penis, making it difficult for enough blood to flow to enable a strong erection. The same is true when you drink excessively, too. 
• Diet – A bad diet can also affect blood flow, and being overweight is a common cause of impotence. Eating healthy foods reduces your risk of common vascular problems caused by high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and obesity, all of which can contribute to ED.
• Stress & Anxiety – Impotence is not just caused by physical changes in your body. It can be brought on by psychological factors, too. Stress and anxiety can interrupt how the brain sends messages to the penis to allow extra blood flow, affecting your sexual function and sexual performance.

Physical

• High blood pressure – High blood pressure can prevent your arteries from carrying blood into the penis and from dilating the way they’re supposed to. It can also cause the smooth muscle in the penis to lose its ability to relax. As a result, insufficient blood is flowing into the penis to make it erect.
• Heart disease – The narrowing of the blood vessels in your penis could be due to heart disease or as a result of the treatment that you are taking to manage the condition.
• Diabetes – ED is very common for men with diabetes. High blood sugar over a long period of time can damage nerves and blood vessels, and this damage is what prevents you from getting and keeping an erection firm enough for sex. 
• Peyronie’s Disease – The penile plaque or scar tissue that is associated with Peyronie’s disease can interfere with blood flow during an erection. This results in the inability to get or maintain an erection that’s hard enough to have intercourse.
• Obstructive Sleep Apnoea – Sleep apnea can reduce your testosterone levels, leading to ED.

Medication

• Radiation – Radiation therapy can cause radiation-induced nerve damage that can result in ED. Erection problems after radiation therapy tend to develop slowly and get worse over time
• Anti-depressants – Sexual side effects are common with antidepressants, and some can cause a change in your desire for sex and physical erectile problems.
• Antihistamines – Antihistamines block the action of histamine, a chemical in the body that is involved in allergic reactions, but they can also affect your ability to experience healthy erections. Some antihistamines can lead to a reduction of your testosterone levels and sexual dysfunction
• Beta-blockers – Beta-blockers are primarily used to lower blood pressure and might restrict regular blood flow to the penis, causing ED.
• Diuretics -Like beta-blockers, diuretics also lower blood pressure, which can affect your ability to get and maintain an erection.
• Anti-ulcer drugs – Anti-ulcer drugs are one of the most common drugs associated with impotence. They are used to reduce sodium in your body, and this can lower your blood pressure, making it difficult to get an erection.

Impotence Treatments

There are many impotence causes, and treatments available are just as varied.  

Medications

There are prescription drugs that your doctor can give you to help with ED. Viagra is incredibly popular. However, it is not without side effects.

Side effects can include:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Flushing
• Upset stomach
• Fainting
• Vision loss
• Erections lasting more than 4 hours

Tablets usually have to be taken an hour before you plan to have sex and can take the spontaneity out of your sex life. 

Although Viagra can be used effectively to treat impotence, causes and treatments need to vary depending on the individual, therefore, it might not always be the best option. If you’re considering medication, be sure to speak to your doctor before taking it. 

Testosterone Therapy

Testosterone therapy is a hormone replacement therapy for men. By increasing testosterone, it is thought to help overcome impotence. Some men report experiencing improvement in energy level, sex drive, and the quality of their erections.

Lifestyle

A healthy diet and daily exercise can do wonders for your overall mental well-being, and it is also proven to help improve symptoms of ED. 

Strength training can increase your testosterone levels, too, which could also help with ED.

Stress and anxiety are common impotence causes, and treatments often help eliminate that stress. Lowering stress through mindfulness meditation, yoga, and exercise could improve symptoms.

Surgery

Surgical procedures such as penis implants could help with impotence, although it is often only offered as a last resort. There are two main types of penile implants, semi rigid and inflatable, and each implant option requires invasive surgery, which should be carefully considered before going ahead. 

The P-Shot: A Safe, Effective Solution To Impotence 

The P Shot is a pioneering treatment used to treat erectile dysfunction issues such as impotence or the inability to maintain a firm erection.

It’s such a popular option because it is a natural solution using your body’s ability to heal itself. Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is made from a sample of your blood and is used to stimulate the growth of new, younger tissue and increase blood flow. 

This type of treatment has been used successfully to repair damaged muscles and nerves for many years in the medical field, and experts have since found that using the same process can combat erectile problems such as impotence.

Unlike other treatments, the P-Shot can enable men to be more spontaneous without relying on taking medication or administering injections before sex. 

The procedure works by drawing a small amount of your blood which is then spun at a high frequency within a centrifuge to separate the platelet-rich plasma. 

At Elite Aesthetics, we use a specific FDA-approved centrifuge to give the best possible results, and we’re one of the few clinics in the UK to use this particular centrifuge for the P-Shot.

This PRP is then injected into your penis. This might sound uncomfortable, but we carry out the procedure under local anaesthetic, so you’ll experience little to no discomfort. 

Following treatment, many men experience firmer, stronger erections and a reduction or resolution of erectile dysfunction symptoms. 

There are no serious side effects, and results can last for up to 18 months. 

Additional Benefits Of The P-Shot

Men report experiencing stronger erections, with increased sexual sensitivity and stronger orgasms.

Confidence is increased  – and libido, too. Some men even report increased girth and penis length. 

There is a wide variety of impotence causes, and treatments can be tricky to decide on. P-shot treats most symptoms and has some appealing benefits.

Where Can I Get Treatment For Impotence?

If you are suffering from ED and would like to find out more about the different impotence causes and treatments available, then you should get in touch and book a consultation. 

You can contact us by calling 01322 381 205, emailing info@elite-aesthetics.co.uk, or WhatsApp us. 

At Elite Aesthetics, consultations are held in our award-winning clinic based in Greenhithe, Kent, just 20 minutes from London.