Diabetes & Impotence

To understand how diabetes leads to erectile dysfunction (ED), you first have to understand how erections work. Getting an erection is really a complicated process.

Anatomy of an Erection

In the shaft of the penis there are two side-by-side chambers of spongy tissue called the corpora cavernosa. They're mainly responsible for erections. Just below them is another chamber called the corpus spongiosum. The urethra, which carries semen and urine, runs through the center of it.

The corpora cavernosa are made of small arteries and veins, smooth muscle fiber, and empty spaces. The chambers are wrapped in a sheath of thin tissue.

When you get an erection, nerve signals from your brain or from the nerve endings in your penis cause the smooth muscle of the chambers to relax and arteries to dilate, or open wider. This allows a rush of blood to fill the empty spaces.

The pressure of blood flow causes the sheath of tissue around the chambers to press on veins that normally drain blood out of the penis. That traps blood in the penis. As more blood flows in, the penis expands and stiffens, and you have an erection.

When the excitement ends, the smooth muscle contracts again, taking pressure off the veins and allowing blood to flow back out of the penis. Then the penis returns to a flaccid state.

Diabetes: A Perfect Storm for Erectile Dysfunction

Many common problems related to diabetes all come together to cause erectile dysfunction. That's why various studies show that 35% to 75% of men with diabetes will develop some degree of erectile dysfunction. If you are having difficulty getting erections, there may be a number of things going on in your body.