| Androgen |
Androgen is the generic term for any natural or synthetic compound, usually a steroid hormone, that stimulates or controls the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors. This includes the activity of the accessory male sex organs and development of male secondary sex characteristics. Androgens are also called androgenic hormones or testoids. Androgens are also the original anabolic steroids. They are also the precursor of all estrogens, the female sex hormones. The primary and most well-known androgen is testosterone.
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| Atherosclerosis |
A disorder that causes thickening and a loss of elasticity of the artery walls. In addition to being an important factor in heart disease, it is one of the leading causes of erectile dysfunction.
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| Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) |
An enlargement of the prostate gland that obstructs the flow of urine.
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| Corpora Cavernosa |
Two columns running the length of the penis that can fill with blood and become rigid, producing an erection.
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| Detumescence |
The softening of an erection.
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| Erectile Dysfunction |
Erectile dysfunction, sometimes called "impotence," is the repeated inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse. The word "impotence" may also be used to describe other problems that interfere with sexual intercourse and reproduction, such as lack of sexual desire and problems with ejaculation or orgasm. Using the term erectile dysfunction makes it clear that those other problems are not involved.
Erectile dysfunction, or ED, can be a total inability to achieve erection, an inconsistent ability to do so, or a tendency to sustain only brief erections. Any disorder that causes injury to the nerves or impairs blood flow in the penis has the potential to cause ED. ED is treatable at any age, and awareness of this fact has been growing. More men have been seeking help and returning to normal sexual activity because of improved, successful treatments for ED.
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| Erection |
An erection results in swelling, hardening and enlargement of the penis. Erection enables sexual intercourse and other sexual functions, though it is not essential for all sexual activities. A penis erection occurs when two tubular structures that run the length of the penis, the corpora cavernosa, become engorged with venous blood. This may result from any of various physiological stimuli, also known as sexual arousal. The corpus spongiosum is a single tubular structure located just below the corpora cavernosa, which contains the urethra, through which urine and semen pass during urination and ejaculation, respectively. This may also become slightly engorged with blood, but less so than the corpora cavernosa. After a man has ejaculated his erection usually ends, but this may take time depending on the length and thickness of the penis.
Penis erection usually results from exposure to sexual stimulation from sexual arousal, but can also occur by such causes as a full urinary bladder or spontaneously during the course of a day or at night, often during REM sleep). An erection may also occur once woken up, called nocturnal penile tumescence. The scrotum may also become tightened during an erection.
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| Flaccid |
Soft, not erect.
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| Libido |
Sexual desire.
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| Nitric Oxide |
A chemical released by the nerve endings in the penis when a man is sexually stimulated. This chemical prompts the release of other chemicals that dilate blood vessels in the penis, causing an erection.
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| Nocturnal Penile Tumescence |
The spontaneous occurrence of a penile erection during sleep. All men without erectile dysfunction experience this phenomenon, usually several times a night. It typically happens during REM sleep and it is not uncommon for an erection to be present when a man wakes up.
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| Penile Prosthesis |
A rigid or inflatable device that is surgically implanted in the penis to make it erect.
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| Perineum |
The skin and tissue between the scrotum and the anus.
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| Peyronie's disease |
A disorder in which some of the tissue inside the penis becomes scarred, causing the penis to bend at an angle during an erection.
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| Priapism |
An erection that lasts longer than three hours. Emergency medical treatment is required to prevent permanent damage to the penis.
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| Prostatitis |
An inflammation of the prostate gland, sometimes caused by a bacterial infection.
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| Psychogenic Erectile Dysfunction |
Difficulty in getting or maintaining erections because of a psychological cause, such as stress or depression.
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| Pudendal Nerve |
The nerve that carries sensation from the penis to the central nervous system.
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| Steroid Hormone |
The natural steroid hormones are generally synthesized from cholesterol in the gonads and adrenal glands. These forms of hormones are lipids. They can enter the cell membrane quite easily and enter right into the nuclei. Steroid hormones are generally carried in the blood bound to specific carrier proteins such as sex hormone binding globulin or corticosteroid binding globulin. Further conversions and catabolism occurs in the liver, other "peripheral" tissues, and in the target tissues.
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| Testicle |
The testicle is the male generative gland. The testicles, being gonads, are components of the reproductive system and being endocrine glands are components of the endocrine system. The testicles produce sperm and male sex hormones the most well known of which is testosterone.
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| Testosterone |
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid.
In both men and women, testosterone plays a key role in health and well-being as well as in sexual functioning. Examples include enhanced libido, increased energy, increased production of red blood cells and protection against osteoporosis.
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| Urethra |
The channel in the penis through which urine leaves the body.
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| Vacuum Erection Devices |
Various manual or battery-operated pumps that a man can use to draw blood into the penis to create an erection.
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| Vascular Disorder |
Conditions which interfere with the blood flow to the penis some of which include arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), hypertension, hypercholestremia.
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| Vascular Surgery |
An operation to improve blood flow to the penis, either by repairing leaks in blood vessels or by rerouting arteries to bypass blockages.
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| Venous Leakage |
A condition in which, during an erection, blood seeps out of the penis rather than remaining trapped within it.
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