They can also cause unwanted side effects like flushing, headaches, or changes in vision. Prescription medications don’t help all cases of ED.
Previous sexual trauma like rape and abuse also can lead to ED. Once an episode of ED occurs, the fear of it happening again can block a man’s ability to achieve a subsequent erection. Stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and relationship issues can all have negative effects on reaching and maintaining an erection. Physical and medical conditions aren’t the only sources of ED. Other factors that make maintaining an erection difficult can include: Many men also experience ED after surgical treatment for prostate cancer. Neurological disorders like back and brain surgeries, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis affect nerve signals and can also cause ED.
Many diseases and medical conditions can cause physical damage to arteries, nerves, and muscles, or can affect blood flow, which may all lead to ED. They then open up and let blood flow back when sexual arousal ends. They let blood flow into the penis and then close off, keeping blood in the penis during sexual arousal.
Getting and maintaining an erection requires healthy blood vessels. When a man is sexually aroused, the brain causes blood to flow to the penis, making it larger and firmer.
