You may have a referral to a urologist, a doctor who specializes in treating this condition, for more tests. You may already have a trial prescription for Viagra or similar drugs. Whatever you're doing next, the most important thing to remember is that you aren't in this alone. The rich database of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study has allowed important insights to be gained into a variety of risk factors for erectile dysfunction, both psychosocial and physical. A submissive personality was associated with a higher risk of erectile dysfunction. Obesity status was also associated with the condition (p = 0.006), with baseline obesity predicting a higher risk regardless of follow-up weight loss. Smoking and alcohol consumption were not found to be causally associated with the incidence of erectile dysfunction. The risk of the condition was higher among men with lower education levels, diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. Treatments (with the exception of testosterone supplementation, where effective) work on a temporary basis: they enable an erection to be attained and maintained long enough for intercourse, but do not permanently improve the underlying condition. HealthDay Reporter TUESDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Worried about jet lag? Researchers think they might have just the ticket to perk you up: Viagra. Have you ever had vascular surgery or other treatments for your blood vessels? Waves of sound are beamed through the skin, and although they pass harmlessly through body tissue, they are at just the right pressure to smash up kidney stones into tiny sand-like particles that are then passed out of the body in urine. Simpler surgery than fully inflatable prosthesis 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. These variations make defining ED and estimating its incidence difficult. Estimates range from 15 million to 30 million, depending on the definition used. According to the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS), for every 1,000 men in the United States, 7.7 physician office visits were made for ED in 1985. By 1999, that rate had nearly tripled to 22.3. The increase happened gradually, presumably as treatments such as vacuum devices and injectable drugs became more widely available and discussing erectile function became accepted. Perhaps the most publicized advance was the introduction of the oral drug sildenafil citrate (Viagra) in March 1998. NAMCS data on new drugs show an estimated 2.6 million mentions of Viagra at physician office visits in 1999, and one-third of those mentions occurred during visits for a diagnosis other than ED. viagra online canada the blood brim is decreased and erection goes away. In the study, adult male rabbits with severely damaged penises received a graft of specially engineered penile tissue. The animals then re-grew full penises that functioned normally -- even to the point of successfully impregnating females. Nasal congestion Ease of administration makes oral medication advantageous. Some drugs, however, are suitable for only a relatively small group of men, and in many cases, oral medications may by less effective than other treatments. It's the 'use it or lose it' principle at work, one expert says Is withdrawal effective? Uncontrolled high blood pressure (greater than 170/110 mm Hg) Sharlip was not involved in the study, which was led by Dr. Anthony Atala, director of the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. His team reported its findings Tuesday at the American Urological Association annual meeting, in Atlanta. The finding suggests a potential new treatment for ED in men.