Hopefully after reading this, you will have a better idea of the many causes to erectile problems and ways to help your boyfriend past these problems and onto a happier relationship.

Erectile dysfunction or ED is an inability of a male to attain or to maintain an erection. In order for an erection to occur the blood vessels in the penis need to expand and fill with blood.

This stimulation occurs when nerve signals from the brain prompt the blood vessels. Recent statistics show that there are over 18 million men in the U.S. with some level of erectile dysfunction.

Erectile dysfunction due to a medical condition is very rare in men under 40, particularly if there is not a pre-existing medical condition. In men under 40, erection problems are mainly psychogenic, meaning it is more a matter of what is going on inside the brain and not other parts of the body.

Issues that can cause erectile problems include; performance anxiety, unrecognized homosexuality feelings or perceptions, a recent death or serious illness in a family member or close friend or financial problems, the most common being performance anxiety with most young males attempting to live up to the Hollywood or pornographic movie ideal of he perfect lover and falling short.

Smoking can be another contributor to erectile problems. ED is 1.5 times more common in those that smoke than those that do not smoke. Depression and erectile problems have also been since linked together, with each problem increasing the trouble with the other. It has also been shown in studies that once the erectile problems decrease, the level of depression also improves.

Not all erectile problems are in the mind, there could be other causes of erectile problems which are not as easy to correct or address.

These include; nerve damage caused by longstanding diabetes or an injury to the groin area, a cardiovascular disorders which is affecting the blood supply to the pelvic area, certain prescription medications have been shown to have an effect on erection functioning, a spinal cord injury that has gone untreated, the onset of multiple sclerosis, an unbalancing with levels of hormones within the individual or alcoholism and drug abuse.

If persistent erectile problems exist, a visit to the doctor should occur to rule out these or any number of other potential causes.

There are many lifestyle changes that a man can make which can cause a significant improvement in his ability to get or maintain an erection.

These changes include; stopping smoking or being around those that do smoke, limiting or avoiding the use of alcohol or other non-prescription or illegal drugs, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep each night, finding ways to reduce the amount of stress, dealing with causes of anxiety or depression, and having a regular check-up with their doctor to ensure that this is not a sign of some other medical condition.

As we can see there are a number of causes for a man to have some type of erectile problems and a number of ways to deal with them. It could be something very far outside the bedroom that is causing the problem.

If you can help your boyfriend deal more positively with these other issues, you should probably see an improvement in how he can deal with the issues inside the bedroom too.