Erection problems, which used to be called impotence, but now is more commonly called erectile dysfunction, is when a man has a problem getting or maintaining an erection that is firm enough for him to have sex. These problems can occur at any age, meaning it is not something that only the very old or the very young suffer from. But in actuality it is more common to find it in older men due to the fact that they and usually are suffering from other health problems.

At some point in their lives most men will experience difficulty in getting or maintaining an erection. For the most part this is just a temporary problem that will actually go away on its own without getting any kind of treatment or tests done from your doctor. But in some cases it can be an ongoing problem that will require medical attention and treatment to deal with it. The best thing to keep in mind is that if you have difficulty maintaining or having an erection more than 25% of the time you have a problem that is not going to go away on its own, nor is it just a part of your imagination. If this is happening you are going to want to seek medical attention to determine if the problem is being caused by physical or physiological problems.

Here are the main causes of erection problems:

• Diseases and conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart or thyroid conditions, poor circulation, low testosterone, depression, spinal cord injury, nerve damage, or neurologic disorders
  
• Medications such as blood pressure medications, heart medications, some peptic ulcer medications, sleeping pills, and antidepressants
  
• Nicotine, alcohol, or cocaine
  
• Poor communication with your partner
  
• Stress, fear, anxiety, or anger
  
• Unrealistic sexual expectations which make sex a task rather than a pleasurable experience
  
• The repeated vicious cycle of doubt, failure, or negative communication that reinforces the erection problems

But in order to determine if you are suffering from erection problems, which is actually quite common in males, there are various tests that can be performed. For the most part tests for erection problems are going to include a detailed sexual history and a physical examination. During the physical examination your penis and testicles are going to be checked for any problems, but your blood pressure will also be tested. But in addition to these tests blood tests will also be done to test your testosterone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, and thyroid levels. In addition to that other blood tests they might do include a complete blood count, blood glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride. But if all of these tests come back normal your doctor might prescribe you some medication to take to see if that solves your problem or they might order some more tests.

Here is a look at some of the other tests that they might do:

Doppler ultrasound test - this test is also called a color duplex Doppler. But this test uses a handheld tool that is passed lightly over the penis. The tool uses the reflected sound waves to figure out the speed and direction of the blood as it flows through a blood vessel. The sound waves are sent to a computer that changes the sound waves into colors that are overlaid onto a picture of the blood vessel, which is designed to show you the speed and direction of the blood flow.

Intracavernosal injection test - with this test what happens is that the doctor will inject a medicine, usually prostaglandin E1, into the base of your penis to cause an erection. In some cases the doctors will also place a similar medication into the urethra, which is called am intrurethral injection. Once the erection is established the fullness and how long the erection lasts is measured and recorded.

Nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) test - Can also be called the stamp test or the rigidity test. This test is done to see if you are having normal erections during sleep. The reason for this is that most men have 3 to 5 full erections during deep sleep. This helps determine if the erection problems are due to psychological problems because while sleeping they will still have erections. The test can be done at home or in a special sleep lab and is usually done for at least two nights in a row. If good erections occur during deep sleep they can determine that the cause of the problems is not physical. Here is a look at the two ways the test can be done:

• A ring like device that is called a snap gauge that is made up of plastic films is fitted around the penis. The films are intended to break at certain pressures. So if you have an erection at during deep sleep that will cause the film to snap.
  
• Electronic monitoring device, which is more expensive than the snap gauge, but is also more accurate, can be used. This method gives more detailed information about erections during sleep. It records how many, how long, and how rigid the erections are during sleep.
  

 If your doctor determines that you are suffering from erectile dysfunction they will then go over a treatment plan with you. For the most part many doctors usually start with lifestyle changes and medication first. They don't usually recommend surgery or any other types of treatments until those have been tried first to see if that solves the problem. Here is a look at the various things that treatment for erectile dysfunction:

• Change your lifestyle by avoiding things like tobacco, drugs, and alcohol.
  
• Talk to your partner about the issue that you are having, try doing sensual exercises alone and together, and get counseling.
  
• Finding and stopping the use of any medications that might be causing the problem. If possible find an alternative medication that you can take for the continuation of the treatment that does not cause erection problems.
  
• Try taking prescription medications that can help you get erections. The pills that are available include Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis. But before taking these medications you are going to want to check with your doctor if they are safe for you to take with your current medications. The reason for this is that these pills can be dangerous if you suffer from heart disease that requires you to take medications that contain nitrates, including nitroglycerin. Also you are going to want to seek emergency medical attention if you have an erection that last more than four hours because serious side effects can occur.
  
• Getting counseling for depression or anxiety or taking medications for these problems
  
• Using vacuum devices on the penis or getting shots of medicine into the penis to cause an erection
  
•  As a last option you can have surgery to place an implant into the penis

Something else that is important to know about erection problems is that your risk of suffering from erection problems increases with age. According to reports about 40% of men in their forties say they occasionally suffer from problems getting and maintaining an erection, while 52% of men between the ages of 40 and 70 report having erection problems. As men approach their seventies about 70% of men report suffering from erection difficulties. So since you know that this problem increases with age it is important to do what you can to help prevent erection problems.

The best thing that you can actually do to help prevent erection problems is to make sure that you eat plenty of healthy foods, but that you also get enough exercise to help you stay in good health. The reason that you want to do all of this is because most of the erection problems are caused by a physical problem so by ensuring that you stay in good physical health you can reduce your chances of having erection problems. But some other ways to reduce your chances of having an erection problem is to stay away from smoking, drinking too much alcohol and using illegal drugs.

But something else that you can do is to use safe sex practices if you are worried about STDs. By using condoms this can help reduce your stress levels and anxiety that is associated with worrying about getting diseases like HIV or other STDs. You can also talk to your partner it has been proven that couples who do not communicate their feelings with each other can find it difficult to make love to each other. The reason behind this is that the man is keeping all of his feelings bottled up inside which can actually cause him to lose his erection during sex because he is worried about how he is performing. Or he can even be holding it back as a weapon to use against his partner if he is frustrated or angry with them.