IMPOTENCE OR ERECTION PROBLEM: IT’S NOT WHAT YOU THINK
When we use the terms impotence or erection problem in this book, we simply mean that the erection is absent, or that it can’t be maintained firmly enough to have sexual intercourse. We don’t like referring to a man as “impotent” because thaf s attaching a label that can make him feel powerless or ineffectual. Unfortunately, impotence is a word loaded with meanings which have nothing to do with a man’s ability to get and maintain an erection. A dictionary defines impotent as “lacking in power, strength or vigor: helpless.” But the common association of sexual impotence with powerlessness is nonsense. A man can be successful, happy and in charge of many aspects of his life and still have erection problems, just like he can have any other health problems. When it happens, impotence is a problem, but it’s one that usually can be solved. You can take charge of the erection problem in much the same way you deal with other types of health and life problems—by getting informed and getting help. The important thing is to see it as a health problem, not a statement about your worth as a man or a lover.
Doctors use the term primary impotence to mean that a man has never been able to have and maintain an erection thaf s sufficiently firm for intercourse; secondary impotence is the term used for patients who have had healthy, normal erections, but now find themselves with erection problems. You may also hear medical people describing impotence as “erectile dysfunction.” If s important for doctors to have these definitions, but it is equally important for you not to let the words stop you from seeking help. One man avoided going to a sexual dysfunction clinic at a major medical center because he was so turned off by the word “dysfunction.” He felt that showing up at the clinic would be an announcement to the world that he was something less than a man. (Some health professionals recognize this problem and have given their clinics more encouraging names.)
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