Erection
Problems caused by medical treatment and surgery – the nerves and blood vessels involved in erection can be damaged by some types of medical treatment such as using radiation to kill cancer cells; and surgery of the bladder, colon (large intestine), prostate or rectum. For instance, if men have prostate and bladder cancer surgery they are more likely to suffer from ED because nerves and other tissue around tumors usually need to be taken out together with the tumors. Some drugs (medicines) may also cause ED. One such drug is lithium, which is made of chemicals called lithium salts. Lithium is given to people who suffer from bipolar disorder, a kind of mental illness. People who have bipolar disorder suffer from mood swings – they sometimes feel very happy and friendly, then become angry or very sad. Lithium helps to reduce the number of mood swings. However, it also seems to lower the amount of nitric oxide in the blood vessels of the corpora cavernosa.