Physical causes of impotence

There are many health conditions which can cause impotence or erectile dysfunction. As a result of this they have been placed into the following four categories:

• Anatomical conditions
• Hormonal conditions
• Neurogenic conditions
• Vasculogenic conditions

Anatomical conditions refer to medical conditions which affect the physical structure and function of the penis. One example of this is a condition called ‘ hypospadias’: this is a birth defect in the male urethra which causes abnormal development of the urethra.

Hormonal conditions are a less common cause of erectile dysfunction but they do occur. One example is ‘ hypogonadism’ which leads to low levels of testosterone.

Neurogenic conditions refer to illnesses or diseases which affect the nervous system. Examples of these include Parkinson’s disease or Multiple Sclerosis.

Vasculogenic conditions refer to diseases of the vascular system: the vascular system is a network of veins, arteries and vessels which circulate blood around the body. This includes blood supply to the penis. High blood pressure is an example of a vasculogenic condition.

Many physical problems of erectile dysfunction cause a psychological problem as well. If you have a medical condition such as high blood pressure which prevents you from getting an erection then it is likely to cause anxiety and stress.

In other words, a physical complaint often leads to a psychological complaint. This psychological complaint causes further erection difficulties which increase the emotional distress and so on.

Some men have erectile dysfunction which is caused by a physical problem only whereas other men find that their impotency is psychological in origin.

Then there are a group of men who have both physical and psychological causes of their impotence.