Definition:

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a type of male sexual dysfunction when a man is not able to achieve or maintain a firm erection required for satisfactory sexual intercourse.

ED can be classified into three types (depending on how hard it is to obtain or sustain an erection): mild, moderate, and severe. This condition is also known as male impotence.
Symptoms:

Erectile dysfunction is characterized by the frequent failure to get or maintain an erection.

It is normal for a man not to be able to get an erection in some occasions (for example, when being anxious or sad), but if it happens on a regular basis that may indicate having some degree of erectile dysfunction.
Causes:

A full erection requires a healthy nervous system (to properly transmit signals from the brain to the right parts of the body when sexual arousal occurs), and good blood circulation (since blood is what fills the body of the penis and make it erect and hard). And so, there are many different causes of ED, including:

* Physical causes: arterial disorders and blood diseases, brain and nerve disorders, hormonal disorders, heart disease, diabetes, surgery (prostate, bladder, colon, etc), accident and injury.
* Psychological causes: worry, stress, depression and grief. Men who lack confidence in their sexual ability may suffer from ED due to anxiety.
* Lifestyle: Smoking, drinking alcohol, taking drugs, lack of exercise and obesity all can result in impotence. Smoking is one of the lead causes of impotence since it damages blood vessels.

Treatment:

There are numerous conventional and alternative treatments for erectile dysfunction. Some of these treatments are clinically proven, while the effectiveness of other methods remains disputable. Treatment options include the following:

* Prescription medications: Using FDA-approved, oral anti-impotence drugs is the most effective and easiest way to deal with erectile dysfunction. Currently, there are three FDA-authorized drugs used to treat ED: Viagra (sildenafil citrate), Cialis (tadalafil), and Levitra (vardenafil HCl). These medications are only available with a prescription from a doctor, and may not be safe for everyone.
* Penis pumps (aka vacuum pumps): These devices are used to get a temporary erection. They work by creating vacuum around the penis, which forces more blood to flow into the penis and then you trap it using a rubber ring around the base of the penis. There are many disadvantages of this technique, including: it can be painful, it may cause injury, excessive “pumping” may burst your blood vessels and cause permanent damage, not convenient or practical for regular use, and they erection does not feel “natural”.
* Surgery: Surgical treatment may be required in case of severe ED, or when other options fail. The procedure involves implanting the penis with an inflatable device called “penile prosthesis”. The device contains a valve that can be used for inflating or deflating the device with a special fluid, and thus it creates or ends an erection on demand. Not so many people prefer surgery because it is risky and expensive.
* Herbal medicine: Natural and herbal supplements have been used for thousands of years to treat many different conditions and diseases. There are “tons” of “herbal” supplements that claim to be a “natural Viagra”, but the fact is, none of these supplements is clinically proven or medically approved to be effective in treating erectile dysfunction. Additionally, most herbal Viagra pills sold over the Internet are nothing more than scam/rip-off.

Facts:

* Erectile dysfunction is one of the most common sexual dysfunctions in men (Source: WHO).
* About 40% of men in their 40s experience some degree of erectile dysfunction (Source: WHO).
* Erectile dysfunction can affect men of all ages; young and old. While the numbers and percentages of ED patients are higher in older men, many young men all around the world still suffer from this condition.
* There is nothing to be embarrassed about if you have, or you think you have, ED. Just relax and pick the right time to discuss the issue with your physician and partner, and (hopefully) things will start to get simpler from there. The worst thing you can do about it is just sit down and do nothing.