Erectile dysfunction (impotence) (2024)

Erectile dysfunction (impotence) is very common, especially in men over 40. It is usually nothing to worry about, but see a doctor if it persists.

What is erectile dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction is when you:

• cannot get an erection
• being unable to maintain an erection long enough to have sex

Depending on the cause, you may still get an erection at other times, such as when you wake up.

Sometimes you might have that toolow sex drive (loss of libido).

Causes of erectile dysfunction

Most men occasionally fail to get or keep an erection.

This is usually caused by stress, fatigue or too much alcohol and is nothing to worry about.

It can also be a side effect of some medications.

If erectile dysfunction is common, it may be caused by a condition such as:

• high bloodpressureofhoge cholesterol
• diabetes
• depressionofangst
• hormoonproblemator

Things you can do to help with erectile dysfunction

Healthy lifestyle changes can sometimes help with erectile dysfunction.

What happens at your appointment?

If you see someone who is experiencing erectile dysfunction, the doctor or nurse may:

• Ask about your lifestyle and relationship, and any problems you may have
• perform some basic health checks, such as measuring your blood pressure
• examine your genitals to rule out an obvious physical cause

If you have complaints such as having to urinate more often than normal, you can also have your prostate examined (rectal examination).

Treatments for erectile dysfunction

Treatment can usually help improve erectile dysfunction.

Drugs for erectile dysfunction

The main treatments are medications that increase blood flow to your penis, called PDE-5 inhibitors.

These include:

• Sildenafil (Viagra)
• tadalafil (Cialis)
• Vardenafil (Levitra)
• Avanafil (Spedra)

You can get sildenafil with a prescription or buy it from the pharmacy. You need a prescription for the other types.

Vacuum pumps

Vacuum pumps stimulate blood flow to the penis, causing an erection.

They work for most men and can be used when medication is not suitable or does not work.

They are not always available on the NHS. Talk to a doctor about where you can get a vacuum pump.

Treating the cause of erectile dysfunction

There are also treatments for some causes of erectile dysfunction.

For example:

• Your doctor may switch you to a different medication if it is causing your erectile dysfunction
• high blood pressure, high cholesterol and hormone problems can be treated with medications
• Counseling and therapy can help if your erection problems are related to emotional or mental health issues, but there can be long waiting times for these services on the NHS