Overview
Erectile dysfunction is persistent difficulty achieving or keeping an erection firm enough for sex. Beyond the distress it causes, it is often an early warning of blood-vessel disease — the same process behind heart attacks — or of diabetes, so it deserves a proper medical check rather than quiet self-medication with unregulated "manpower" products.
Symptoms
- Difficulty achieving an erection
- Erections that do not last long enough for sex
- Reduced morning erections
- Reduced sexual desire in some men
- Anxiety or avoidance around intimacy
Causes & risk factors
- Blood-vessel disease from hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol
- Smoking and heavy alcohol use
- Stress, anxiety and relationship strain
- Low testosterone
- Some medicines, including certain BP and depression treatments
Treatment & self-care
A doctor checks blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol and sometimes hormones — treating these often improves erections — and can prescribe effective erection tablets where safe, with counselling for the psychological component. Exercise, weight loss, stopping smoking and moderating alcohol genuinely help. Avoid unregulated aphrodisiacs and street "manpower" mixtures, which can be dangerous, especially with heart conditions.
See a doctor urgently if
- ED persisting beyond a few weeks
- ED with known hypertension, diabetes or heart disease
- Chest pain or breathlessness on exertion (heart check first)
- An erection lasting more than four hours after any medication — emergency