they did not wake up with morning erections like their friends

Practically everybody knows that erectile dysfunction usually occurs in older men who have been living unhealthy lives, however in some rare cases teenagers can actually suffer from the condition. A new study done in America has shed new light on the problem and shows that unlike previously thought boys suffering from erectile dysfunction do not necessarily have psychological problems.

Dr. John P. Mulhall from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City explained that while some boys suffered from impotence because of psychological issues some of them actually had blood vessel problems which needed specialised medical treatment. He also noted that it was important that the problem was dealt with swiftly because even if the problem was a physical it could manifest itself into a psychological sexual inadequacy problem in later years. He said that the quicker treatment was started the more likely it would produce permanent and positive results.

The study which was written up in the medical journal BJU International looked at 40 teenage boys between the ages of fourteen and nineteen who were treated at specialist erectile dysfunction clinics. The boys tended to have suffered from their problem for a couple of years and usually were accompanied by one or both of their parents.

Twenty five of the boys underwent ultrasound scanning to examine penile blood flow and from this twelve of them were diagnosed as having blood vessel problems. The others were therefore thought to have a psychological cause to their erection problem. Because of the age of the boys not all of them were sexually active but some of them had become increasingly concerned that they did not wake up with morning erections like their friends.

Doctor Mulhall noted that that in the majority of cases of teenage erectile dysfunction the treatment was effective whether the condition was caused by psychological or physical reasons. When the cause of erectile dysfunction was diagnosed as physical treatment often involved vascular surgery or hormone therapy.

When the condition was psychological which could be due to lack of confidence or distressing previous sexual experiences, medications along with psychotherapy were used. He said that once the boys had regained their sexual confidence they would not need to use the medication again.

Doctor Mulhall also commented on the extreme stress that teenage boys who were unable to get erections suffered from and how embarrassing and humiliating it could be for them even to discuss it with their parents or a doctor. He said that research like this which showed that teenage erectile dysfunction was almost always curable would encourage teenagers to come forward and get help.