Erectile dysfunction is a condition suffered by many men and involves an inability to achieve or maintain an erection, causing sexual intercourse to become difficult or even impossible. Erectile dysfunction symptoms can include loss of libido, or sex drive, as well as an inability to get or keep an erection. Causes can be psychological in nature or be due to medical conditions such as diabetes. Treatment involves finding and treating the reason for the erectile dysfunction, with medications often being prescribed to treat individual symptoms.
An inability to achieve an erection is among the most commonly reported erectile dysfunction symptoms. In fact, this is often the only reported symptom. In the beginning, this symptom may occur sporadically. Over the course of time, it may become impossible to achieve an erection at all. It is at this point that most men seek medical attention involving erectile dysfunction symptoms. Many times, this is due to medical conditions such as diabetes or blood pressure fluctuations.
Another of the more frequently reported erectile dysfunction symptoms is the inability to maintain an erection long enough to sustain sexual intercourse. This symptom can be medical in nature, although psychological factors such as performance anxiety are often the reason behind this problem. Another of the erectile dysfunction symptoms is a reduced libido. Again, this may have either psychological or physical causes.
When a patient visits a doctor to discuss his erectile dysfunction symptoms, the doctor will likely ask a lot of personal question in order to find out if there may be psychological issues leading to the erectile dysfunction. Blood tests are commonly performed as well. This will help the doctor to diagnose issues such as diabetes that may be contributing to the erectile dysfunction. Once other medical conditions have either been diagnosed and treated or eliminated as the cause of the sexual dysfunction, treatment aimed at the erectile dysfunction symptoms can begin.
As long as serious heart conditions have been ruled out, prescription medications are often used to help the patient achieve and maintain an erection. These medications are typically given in the form of a pill that can be taken just before sexual intercourse. In some cases, a lower dose of this medication is prescribed, allowing the patient to take the medication on a daily basis. Many patients prefer taking the medications daily, as this allows for more spontaneity instead of needing to plan the timing of sexual intercourse around the medications.