Why does ED occur?
On June - 2 - 2008
ED is very common, and it occurs for a variety of reasons and at different ages.
- Teenagers and young men
In younger males, the most frequent cause is anxiety – particularly nervousness about having sex, about causing a pregnancy, or about using a condom. A lot of men in this age group complain that they ‘can’t get on with a condom’ because as soon as they try to put it on, they lose their ’stffy’.
- Middle age
Common causes in this age group are overwork, stress, guilt and bereavement, (ED often happens when a widowed man tries to form a new sexual relationship). A few cases are due to diabetes.
- Post-middle age
In this group of men, ED gets commoner with increasing age. Nonetheless, 70 per cent of all 70-year-olds are sexually potent.
It is now clear that in a very high proportion of cases, the problem is due to deterioration in the blood vessels that carry blood into the penis. Research being carried out in 2007 suggests that in addition there may often be deterioration in the arteries of the brain or the heart. Therefore older men with ED should take care to protect themselves against strokes and heart attacks – for example by keeping their blood pressure and cholesterol down.
