Male impotence information. The term male impotence is defined as the situation where a man has an ongoing problem achieving and maintaining an erection for intercourse, something which is believed to affect upwards of 30 million men in the United States from 18 to 70 years of age. Long term research has now produced results that suggest between half and three quarters of cases involving male impotence have some physical cause and not psychological as was once thought. Medications, physical health, mental wellbeing and lifestyle can all be contributing factors to cause impotence in men as well as age.

Physical impotence occurs when there is a problem with any of the systems needed to get or maintain an erection. The good news is that male impotence can usually be reversed when a man is treated for the underlying medical conditions, when the medications are adjusted or when lifestyle habits are changed.

Another cause of male impotence that affects the blood flow to the penis and consequently an erection is hardening of the arteries. Just as easily, this situation can be caused by damage to the nerves that control blood flow to the penis. Strangely, there is also a connection between diabetes and male impotence as a quarter of men with diabetes are also impotent.

There are many other medical conditions that can affect male impotence including; Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and injuries to the spine. There are also occasions where accidental damage to blood vessels and nerves happen during surgery to treat prostrate cancer, bladder, colon or rectal problems which causes impotence.

Occasionally, prescription medications for high blood pressure, depression, spinal cord injury, diabetes and other conditions can cause male impotence on a temporary basis by interfering with the nerve impulses or blood flow to the penis. One recent study, found that male impotence was equally common among smokers and non-smokers in general. Although that does change if a smoker suffers with other health problems, then the chances of him having male impotence increases against a that of a non-smoker. In fact, in men suffering with heart disease, over twice as many smokers will have impotency problems than those who do not smoke.

Generally, alcohol induced male impotence, which disrupts hormone levels in addition to nerve damage, can be cured once the person has stopped drinking although a for quarter of men who suffer with this, the impotence will be permanent.

Sometimes if a man is suffering from stress, work related or otherwise, this can affect his performance, and he may not be able to achieve an erection at all. Some male impotence problems can be solved when a man understands the normal changes that take place when you age and how it is possible to adapt to them. For example, as men get older they generally need more direct stimulation to achieve an erection. They may also have less firm erections, take longer to ejaculate and need more time between erections. Fortunately, no matter what the cause of impotence is, male impotence can usually be rectified.