Impotence at young age – incidence, causes, treatment and prevention

At what age impotence can develop?

Today, impotence has ceased to be mostly an age-related problem and more often affects men at 30 and even at 20 years old. The causes and signs of impotence in young people lie in lifestyle, physical and psychological health.
But, as a rule, men try to attribute all problems to physical fatigue, nervous stress and prefer to solve the problem on their own.
This approach is not entirely true: impotence is a disease that must be treated in order to avoid further negative manifestations of pathology, for example, male infertility.

Short information about impotence in young men

Causes of impotence at a young age

When considering sexual dysfunction in patients younger than 40 years old, one should pay attention to such reasons as:

- Genetic disorders of the structure of the reproductive system;
- Diseases of the endocrine and cardiovascular system;
- Pathology of the pelvic organs;
- Mental, physical disorders.

Important: In patients under 40 years of age, impotence, the signs of which are detected rather early, is more often caused by impaired formation of sexuality in childhood, an unsuccessful first experience, fear of a sexual partner or due to infections of the genitourinary system. The problem of losing an erection should be discussed not only with a urologist, but also with a psychologist, andrologist, and sexologist.

Psychogenic impotence

This is a pathology with the absence or minimal erectile function insufficient for normal sexual intercourse. The disease appears due to nervous shocks, prolonged depression.

Important: The first signs of impotence in men appear quickly, in the absence of the necessary treatment, the condition can drag on, which will further aggravate the course of the disease. To break out of a vicious circle only a psychologist can help.

Isolated cases of failures are not considered as a system violation. This condition can be caused by severe physical, emotional fatigue, a breakdown in relationships with a partner, or inappropriate conditions for intimacy.

But at a young age, a man takes even accidental failures too seriously and falls into the risk zone of patients with "fiasco syndrome" - the expectation of failure, which is based on auto-suggestion. The progression of the syndrome leads to the fact that the symptoms of impotence are manifested regardless of the presence of causes, the change of partner, etc.

This complex is difficult to treat and therefore requires the earliest possible intervention of a specialist.

What can trigger the development of psychogenic erectile dysfunction?

- Psychological trauma that forms a negative attitude towards sex.
- Unsuccessful first relationship experience.
- Fear of sexually transmitted infections - a phobia is associated with sex education when it is suggested that the result of sexual intercourse will necessarily be an STD.
- Fear of relationships, possible pregnancy of a partner.
- Problems in relations with a partner, indifference and frequent failures with women.
- Frequent self-satisfaction of a man, replacing live full communication.
- Excessive requirements for a partner.
 The causes of the organic form of the disease are most often somatic. These are factors such as:
- Pathologies of the endocrine system: obesity, problems of the pituitary gland, adrenal glands provoke a decrease in the production of natural testosterone. With obesity, juvenile impotence is diagnosed, and diabetes mellitus is the reason for the high concentration of glucose in the blood, which causes erectile dysfunction in a man of any age.
- Neurological pathologies are another factor that causes the manifestation of impotence. It can be: Parkinson's syndrome, trauma and degenerative brain damage. In this case, sexual malfunctions are not a cause, but an additional symptom.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular system, leading to a decrease in the elasticity of blood vessels, circulatory disorders - this leads to malfunctions in the filling of the cavernous bodies of the penis and, as a consequence, the inferiority of sexual intercourse.
- Diseases of the genitourinary system, due to which scar tissue is formed. Such processes complicate the blood circulation process, which causes erectile malfunctions.
- Chronic hepatitis. It develops at a young age, causes a violation of the metabolism and destruction of toxins in the liver. As a result, the testicles do not receive enough nutrition for the synthesis of testosterone, and this is the reason for early impotence.
- Long course administration of certain groups of medications: antipsychotics, antidepressants - the most common reason that a man is impotent at a fairly young age.

The occurrence of organic erectile dysfunction is also caused by external factors:

- Bad habits;
- Lack of physical activity, as a result - obesity;
- Injuries of the external genitalia;
- Occupational risks: constant overheating of testicles or vibration.

Important: Organic impotence, the symptoms of which do not appear immediately, is a prolonged disease. Over the years, the man’s condition only worsens: a night erection disappears, malfunctions occur during intercourse, and somatic diseases are detected during the examination. A characteristic feature is the preservation of sexual desire throughout the entire period of development and aggravation of pathology.

Mixed form of impotence

This is the most common disease that combines the causes of the onset and manifestation of psychogenic and organic erectile dysfunction. Signs of impotence in men can be combined and manifested in different ways, but both varieties are closely related. Regardless of the duration of the manifestation, impotence at a young age is an anomaly that should be treated.

The mixed form, not burdened by severe pathologies, is eliminated quickly if you consult a doctor in time. The disease can be primary and secondary; an accurate diagnosis will be made by a specialist, finding out the cause of the pathology.

Important: The primary form of mixed impotence is extremely rare and means that a man has never achieved a normal erection. Secondary is more common, with organic signs recognized as causing factors in 80%, and only 20% are psychogenic.

At the same time, experts argue that if the violation was originally caused by organic causes, over time, psychological ones will join.

Symptoms and diagnosis

The first signs of impotence in a man will help a partner suspect a disease:

- Refusals of intimacy with reference to fatigue, illness, too much work;
- Lack of initiative, unwillingness to extend intimacy and precede it with foreplay;
- The man ignores explicit calls for intimacy.
Symptoms may occur at different times - it all depends on the form of pathology. An erection disorder is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- The absence or slight increase in the penis during the act;
- The inability to maintain an erection for a sufficiently long time;
- Decline in erectile function;
- Premature ejaculation;
- Lack or decrease in arousal;
- Decrease or absence of libido;
- There are no spontaneous erections in the morning and at night;
- Loss of organ density during intercourse.

Usually, premature ejaculation does not cause anxiety only in men who do not have sufficient sexual experience. This is not pathology and the problem commonly resolves with age. But if the symptom appears in the patient at the age of 25-30, then this is a reason to consult a doctor.
You should not consider the pathology and problems with an erection the result of excessive sexual activity - such a tendency can lead to loss of courage, but the reason will be different.

Diagnostic measures include the following steps:

- Interview, clarification of signs, complaints.
- Visual examination, innervation, palpation - this helps to quickly identify symptoms of impotence, indicating a form of pathology. For example, with innervation, the muscles of the anus should immediately contract.
- Blood sampling to determine the level of sugar, cholesterol, and testosterone.
- If necessary: urine sampling, prostate secretion, ultrasound of the adrenal gland, thyroid gland.
If signs of a malfunction of the nervous, endocrine system are detected, additional examination forms are prescribed. Treatment depends on the form of pathology. For mental reasons, the main help is to let the young man overcome the psychological barrier and acknowledge the existence of the problem.
Who to contact? The primary symptoms of impotence in men may not appear immediately, develop over time, letting you know with small short-term malfunctions. The onset of the disease will be seen and determined by the urologist, he will also direct for consultation (if necessary) to the endocrinologist, sex therapist, and/or psychologist.

Treatment of impotence

We have discussed that there could be different causes for impotence development in young men. Thus, treatment approaches are also different:

- In the presence of hormonal disorders, hormonal therapy is appointed;
- In the injuries, anatomical features of the penis, surgery is appointed;
- In cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and other chronic diseases – the major part of the treatment is aimed at their management;
- In the presence of lifestyle factors, i.e. work conditions, sedentary work, lack of physical activity, obesity, alcohol abuse, smoking, and so on – it is important to eliminate them.
- If a man suffers from impotence as a result of taking medicines, a doctor should replace the potentially-harming medicines in the therapy.

- In psychogenic causes of impotence, it is important to acknowledge them and start working with a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Besides treatment of an underlying condition, a man can also use erection-enhancing medicines such as Cialis Super Active based on Tadalafil. The medication cannot cure impotence but ensures the occurrence or natural stable erection in arousal if the pill is taken 30-40 minutes before intercourse. The effect of the medication is based on the relaxation of the smooth muscles of the penis which ensures the unimpeded filling in of the penis with the blood, i.e. natural erection process. Such drugs can be useful both for men with organic and psychogenic erectile dysfunction as they prevent a man from being scared from failure. Such drugs are sold without a prescription but it is still advised to consult a doctor or at least learn the contraindications for use and do not take the pills if you are unsure whether they are safe or not for you.

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In severe deformities or nerve damage, penile prosthesis is the optimal option for men of any age.
If the problem with vascular circulation in the penis is found, drug treatment is appointed and if it doesn’t work, a surgery on the penis vessels is prescribed.

Post by: John Avery, General Practitioner, Manchester, United Kingdom