The erectile dysfunction, also known under the name of male impotence, is defined as the inability to maintain or develop an erection of the penis, even when aroused, for a satisfying sexual performance.

There are multiple causes for this body condition, including past traumas or drug side effects.

Prostate cancer treatments are another major factor responsible for the developing of temporary or even permanent impotence. No matter how good are those results in treating the cancer, there is always a ten percent risk of impotence as a side effect because patients will always receive treatments depending on how far advanced the tumor is: organ-confined, locally advanced or metastatic.



Patients who have undergone prostate radiation therapy, surgery or cryotherapy may experience impotence as a side effect.

Since prostatectomy is the most common type of prostate treatment procedure, it can also include the risks of local bleeding, one per cent among men with ages between sixty five and sixty nine die because of the operation, anesthesia or incontinence, in four point five per cent of the cases. Impotence can develop in about thirty six per cent of the cases but there are recommended treatment such as the Viagra or sildenafil tablets, devices to help stiffen the penis, injections with Caverject or the penile prosthesis.

For the androgen deprivation therapy, also known as hormone therapy or chemical castration, the doctors use two types of drugs, the anti-androgenic drugs and the LH-RH agonists; usually this treatment has some serious side affects like impotence and gynecomastia or breast enlargement, but there is also the risk of developing cardiovascular disorders or incident diabetes, and sometimes causing even death. In some cases, this therapy treatment may not cause impotence but can change the sexual desire because the level of testosterone is being limited, as a form of treating the prostate cancer.

Cryotherapy is the newest treatment method among the three mentioned earlier and is defined as the insertion through a needle of a freezing liquid such as argon or liquid nitrogen into the prostate gland, procedure accomplished only with the help of ultrasoundimages. Unfortunately the side effects can be devastating, because there is a high risk of developing infections, fistulas that leak urine or blockage of the urethra and sometimes impotence.

The radiation therapy with its two procedures, brachytheraphy or internal beam radiation and the external beam radiation therapy, can cause incontinence and impotence but this side effects are less frequent in comparison to the surgery’s effects.

This problem is not only affecting men but also couples. Your beloved partner should be the one responsible for making things a bit easier for you. In frequent cases men will avoid the sexual contact and as a result the partner will feel inadequate or rejected. In these kind of situations, intimacy should effectively replace sex or decrease its role in maintaining a relationship.

It is a frustrating situation but things may not be so dark after all, because there are treatments available out there to help improve your erectile function and this can only be done after consulting a doctor.