Here are 4 elements that can trigger erectile dysfunction in men.
- The number one cause of erection problems is anxiety.
- Access to pornography can also cause erectile dysfunction.
- Erectile dysfunction, more commonly known as “sexual impotence,” is defined as “the persistent inability to obtain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual performance.”
During a press conference given by the Cooper laboratory, several doctors intervened to detail what can cause erection problems.
“The erection is the manifestation in men of sexual arousal, which itself has two pillars: the body and the mind, to which is added a 3rd factor, that of the relationship with others” , explained in the introduction Dr. André Corman, sexologist and andrologist.
Anxiety and discouragement cause erectile dysfunction
The first cause of erection problems mentioned by health professionals is anxiety. “Anxiety will trigger a physical phenomenon: an inhibition of the erection. This is what we call performance anxiety. The worry surpasses the excitement, the autonomic system malfunctions and the erection “bugs “especially since the patient focuses on it”, explains the specialist.
In older and/or sick people, it is mainly discouragement that triggers erectile dysfunction. “This feeling is built, beyond failures during sexual intercourse, by the disappearance of erections outside of sexuality, because the corpus cavernosum is in poor condition. For these men, discouragement and a conviction of incurability develop,” says André Corman.
Erection problems: pornography and the societal developments involved
Erection problems can also come from more societal phenomena. “Beyond the medical aspect, sexuality is confronted with life. Cultural and societal evolution is a central question in clinical practice when it comes to sexology. Phenomena such as the questioning of a certain form of masculinity can lead to erectile dysfunction in some men”, notes the doctor.
Finally, access to pornography can also cause erectile dysfunction. “Performance is largely emphasized and adolescents are somewhat caught up in this pattern” indicates Pr. Pascal de Sutter, professor of psychology at the University of Louvain (Belgium), clinician and researcher specializing in sexology. “Today, even in traditional films, when people start to make love, they are angry and they push each other, as if it were not possible to show passion through gentleness, slowness, sensuality. All this gives a biased image of what sexuality is”, he adds.
What is erectile dysfunction?
According to the European Association of Urology, erectile dysfunction, more commonly known as “sexual impotence”, is defined as “the persistent inability to obtain and maintain an erection sufficient to permit satisfactory sexual performance.” According to the DSM-V, a minimum duration of 6 months and its presence in 75% to 100% of reports are also necessary to make a diagnosis.
A survey recently carried out by Ifop indicated that 61% of French people have already had an erection problem. The prevalence of this disorder increases with age and affects 2.3% of 30-39 year olds, 9.5% of 40-49 year olds., 15.7% of 50-59 year olds, 34.4% of 60-69 year olds and 53.4% of 70-80 year olds.
In France, erectile dysfunction tends to increase among younger men: 26% of newly diagnosed individuals are under 40 years old.