ED Stands for Erectile Dysfunction
ED, or erectile dysfunction, is the inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sex. It is the most common sexual problem that men report to their doctors and affects some 30 million men in the United States. It is most common in men who are older, have health conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, are overweight, smoke, have anxiety or stress, take medications like antidepressants or blood pressure medications, or have had an injury to the spinal cord, penis or pelvis.
Having problems with erections from time to time is not rare. However, if it happens routinely when having sex or is progressive, it is not normal and is an indication of a health problem.
Most often, erectile dysfunction occurs when blood flow to the penis is limited or there is nerve damage. ED can also be the result of stress or emotional problems. Sometimes erectile dysfunction is an early warning sign of a more serious health issue, such as artherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), heart disease, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar levels from diabetes.
Finding the causes of your ED will help treat the problem as well as benefit your overall health. As a general rule, what is good for the heart is also good for your sexual health.
Anatomy of the Penis
To understand how erections work, you need to understand the anatomy of the penis, the male sexual organ.
The largest part of the penis is the tube-shaped shaft. At the end of the shaft is the head or glans. The tip of the glans, where unine and semen come out, is the meatus.
The penis has two cylinder shaped corpora cavernosa that begin deep in the pelvis and run the length of shaft. They join at the head of the penis. The corpora cavernosa are made of sponge-like tissue that fill with blood during an erection.
Also running the length of the shaft is the corpus sponginosum, a third area of the penis with erectile tissue. The corpus sponginosum surrounds and protects the urethra, a tube that transports either urine or semen.
Two arteries, one in each of the corpora cavernosa, bring blood into the two areas. There are also veins and nerves in the corpora cavernosa. The veins transport blood away from the two areas.
How Erections Work
Erections begin with sensory and mental stimulation. When you hear, see, feel, smell or think something that causes you to be sexually aroused, your brain sends messages to the blood vessels in the penis. The arteries in the corpora cavernosa relax and blood rushes in to fill them faster than it can leave through the veins. The veins become compressed and blood becomes trapped, causing a chain reaction. The pressure causes the corpora cavernosa to expand, letting you achieve and maintain an erection.
When the inflow of blood stops and the veins open, your penis becomes soft.