Lifestyle factors are also a consideration. Cigarette smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, and obesity can all impede your natural bodily functions, which can mean difficulty in getting and maintaining an erection. The good news is that these are all factors that are in your control.

If you smoke, you should consider stopping smoking. As well as erectile dysfunction, smoking can contribute to cancer, emphysema and other illnesses. Smoking can also cause damage to blood vessels, which may prevent blood flow to the penis. For men with other ED risk factors, smoking can double their chances of having erectile dysfunction.

The risk of erectile dysfunction is greater in men with high total cholesterol levels than in men with low total cholesterol levels. If there is too much cholesterol in your system, blood flow into the penis may simply be blocked since cholesterol sticks to the walls of the arteries, leading to less blood flow into the penis, causing erectile difficulties.

If you smoke, you should consider stopping smoking. Smoking can also cause damage to blood vessels, which may prevent blood flow to the penis. For men with other erectile dysfunction (ED) risk factors, smoking can double their chances of having erectile dysfunction.