Have you entered that phase in your life when your partner's foreplay fails to arouse you? Have you reached a stage when even blue films don't seem to work? Before you consider yourself sexually over the hill, pause. You may simply be a victim of an impotence problem that has been giving sleepless nights to over thirty million males in the US alone. However, an impotence problem, like any other medical condition, almost always treatable.

Understanding impotence

A sexual impotence problem disables your ability to achieve or maintain an erection for a satisfactory sexual intercourse. Despite this simple definition, this condition is perhaps the most poorly understood and mismanaged of all medical disorders. This is because of the ignorance, superstition, guilt and the stigma attached to anything sexual in the minds of people suffering from it.

It is a common belief amongst most that an impotence problem is an 'all or none' phenomenon, that is, you can either achieve a good erection or not at all. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Most men suffering from impotence experience normal desire and do obtain an erection; only the erection is not hard enough for a sexual intercourse.

Impotence problems can result from psychological factors, like performance anxiety, fear of abandonment or unwanted pregnancy. It can also be due to socio-cultural factors, like negative sexual attitudes or religious beliefs. And this impotence problem can have physical causes too. So, if you are suffering from it, don't suffer is silence. Show yourself to your physician.

Evaluating and diagnosing impotence

Most people suffering from an impotence problem get scared to discus their case, even with their doctors. This is quite understandable. Which male can tolerate being labeled incapable of an erection? However, to avoid being stranded with a drooping libido for the rest of your life, it is better to approach your physician.

Here's what your physician will do:

a. He will find out about your medical and sexual history by asking questions like how long have you had this condition; do you find it difficult to maintain erection and at what point do you lose it; do you have morning erections; how rigid are they; is your ejaculation normal, premature or delayed; how interested are you in sex; how is your relationship with your partner; and the like. This information is required to evaluate your impotence problem to arrive at the correct diagnosis.

b. Next, he will enlighten you about impotency, explaining how erections work and why yours isn't working.

c. Once he has won you over, he will perform a physical examination on your penis and testes. This may include measuring the threshold of your penis for perceiving vibrations. If required, he may perform specialized testing to assess the function of your penis.

Treatment Options

Once your physician has completed your evaluation, he will chalk out treatment options for your impotence problem based on what he has found out about you. This treatment can be physical or psychological or both.

So, before you call it a day and pull the sheet over your sexual incompetence, give your condition a chance. It may well save your love life.