Impotency

The most common male sexual dysfunction is impotence. Impotency or erectile dysfunction (ED) is means inability to perform the sexual activity. Almost all men experience this at some or the other time due to overindulgence or due to a lot of time gap. Even though there are many roots for impotency, the main stem is psychology. Even in a good mood, with desire and environment, impotency can occur if the person is stressed out or has problems in life. It can reflect in getting erection. Also, usually, older men need more time to attain firm erection, more time to ejaculate and much more time or days between two erections. Likewise, they will find difficulty in maintaining erection for more a long time. They have to accept Nature's laws. They could be able to perform better if they adapt to this.

Impotency can pose in different forms depending on the types of origin

Difficulty in getting erection (varies from occasional or partial or complete, etc.)

Difficulty in sustaining erection (varies from short span to zero time)
Difficulty in performing the sexual activity
Difficulty in ejaculation or early ejaculation
Sex without satisfaction in size, time and act.

Incidence - Impotence affects 15-20 per cent of males. Its occurrence is more common in depressed and psychologically upset persons than others of the same age groups. It is more common in smokers, alcoholics, drug addicts or persons suffering from diabetes or hypertension. Also its incidence increases with age, overindulgence in sex or craving for more. Now impotency is more common than ever before due to early pollution of the mind through the media or modern culture. Now teens get mature very early. This criterion also clinches a major cause for the increased incidences of impotency.

Before discussing the cause of impotency and its treatments, everyone should know about the organs involved in sexual activity in the right way.

Male reproductive organs

Testis - The two male gonads are small oval-shaped glands which hang in a scrotal sac of the inguinal region. They produce sperms. The testis originates in the abdomen and gets descended from the third month of uterine life to the scrotal sac. The ectopic or undescended testis may end in failure. The testis is mostly covered with convoluted seminiferous tubules. The secretions of seminal vesicles and bulbar glands add for the bulk or volume of semen. It is the responsible organ for manliness or maleness with its male hormones.

Sperm- is the spermatozoa of men. It is dispersed through semen. Semen is a mix of sperms and secretions which get ejaculated at the end of sexual act from the penis.

Prostate gland is located just below a male's bladder and surrounds the top portion of the urethra contributing to the sexual function with its secretions. It adds for the volume of the semen and it neutralises the acid suspension of the sperm and makes the sperm more capable of motion and increases the likelihood of fertilisation. Its secretion is continuous and more during the sexual act. The benign tumour of the prostate in old age will cause increased desire, priapism (persistent erection of the penis in night) and spermatorrhoea.Penis is a muscular & vascular organ which appears as a long slender shaft in a male. The penis is mainly composed of erectile tissues which are made of sponge-like work that can be filled with blood. The penis is capped with glans penis which is partially covered with prepuce. The glans penis has most sensitive receptors for stimulation of erection and ejaculation. The penis consists of two long columns of the corpus cavernosum and one column of corpus spongiosum. The corpus cavernosa has much arterial supply and blood vessels which usually get filled during erection and account for size enlargement. The centre of corpus spongiosum is pierced with urethra, the tube through which urine or semen get emerged. During sexual excitement, the penis gets engorged with blood and lubricating mucous gets poured into the urethra. Finally erected penis propels the semen deep into the vagina in a series of spurts followed by flaccidity of the penis.

The size and strength of the organ varies from person to person and races. Many males normally crave for long thick penis to satisfy their partner and go for unnecessary treatment. Even though science has proved that the size of the organ is not at all important in activity, as the vaginal canal of the female is sensitive for the initial 4-5cms only, males have a constant craving for it. But in extreme cases of small penis, surgery could help.

The tip or end of the penis has urethral opening. It is the common pathway or outlet for passing urine as well as semen, but never both at a time. If there is a leak of semen in urine, it is called spermatorrhoea which should be treated to avoid weakness.

Erection of penis Penis erection during sexual activity is important for penetrating the vagina. Also a firm erection is absolutely needed to lodge the semen deep in the vagina. The erection of the penis due to the filling up of the erectile tissue with blood makes it rigid and elevated. It depends upon the mental or physical make-up of the person. It gets varied depending upon the partner, places, stimulation and moods. The erected condition of the penis closes the opening of the bladder end and opens the opening of vas end. Normally, a male will have 2-3 erections in sleep (in REM type during dreams which occurs mostly in the early morning).

Mechanism of getting erection - Penile erection is mostly controlled by the autonomic nervous system, i.e. sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves. The stimulation can be from psychogenic or genital touch. On getting stimulation, from brain or genitals,

§ Penis blood supply is increased in many ways
§ Venous return of the penis is blocked for holding all incoming blood in the penis itself
§ The blood filled penis gets elevated and becomes firm

If anything goes wrong, the penis will be flaccid and not enable sexual activity.

Ejaculation - is the sudden forcible expulsion or throw or spurt of semen into the vaginal canal from the penis to reach the uterus. The erected penis will throw semen deep into the vagina. Or, otherwise, it oozes out. It is a reflex phenomenon which intensely makes it a pleasurable sensation for men. The stimulation of ejaculation arises from the glans penis which finally pours the sperm into the vagina with the contraction of the smooth muscles of various glands and ducts. Early ejaculation may occur prior to penetration, or before getting orgasm.
Nowadays, you can see advertisements from money-minting people who promise extra long time for ejaculation. Sometimes, this extra long time may cause failure in getting ejaculation and satisfaction.

Libido - is the psychological feeling for moods of sex. It drives and keeps us in sex.
Orgasm - is the height or apex in the sexual excitement. The violent muscular contractions and movement of the body including the changes in heart beat, respiration and blood pressure with excitement accounts for the orgasm which is followed by a pleasant fatigue.

Female reproductive organs
Vagina is the sheath-like structure forming vaginal canal of nearly three inches from vulva to cervix. It accepts penis during sexual activity. Inflammation may cause pain, loss of libido and white discharges. Itching and urinary tract infection can also spread infection inside the vagina and reflect in sex. Dryness of vagina will cause difficulty in sexual activity and painful sex.
Uterus is the hollow muscular pouch or organ which usually gets prepared during every period for providing lodging facility for the fertilised ovum (if any). It takes care for the accommodation, nourishment and development of the fertilised ovum. If fertilisation of egg doesn't occur, then it sheds its layers as menstrual bleeding.

Ovaries - are a pair of almond-sized organs which is kept loosely by the side of the uterus by a fold of peritoneum. They manufacture eggs for fertilisation and it is the organ responsible for the sexual moods and femininity of the female.

Fallopian tube - is a tube which leads the ovum from the ovaries to the uterus. Usually fertilization occurs in the middle of the fallopian tube. In case of blocked tubes, the egg or sperm will not be able to reach each other, for fertilisation which may result in infertility.

Ova or ovum - the egg of the female, which after getting fertilised have the ability to become an offspring.In the female reproductive organs, except the vagina, nothing else is involved in the sexual activity. Ovaries may account for moods.