Dr Abigail Gasu Acheampong is a health expert

A medical practitioner, Abigail Gasu Acheampong, has listed economic problems, cycling, backaches and long hours of sitting as some of the common causes of Erectile Dysfunction (ED).

According to her, before an erection can happen in a male, all factors, including the environment, stress levels, hormone levels, the muscles in the penis and others must align and be in sync.

She defined the condition as anything that prevents a male from completing a sexual activity.

Explaining how the erection process occurs, she noted that to facilitate an erection, all the blood vessels in the penis must collect blood which must stay in the tissues until the person reaches a climax.

However, if the blood goes into the vessels and does not stay, but diffuses, she said this leads to erectile dysfunction

Speaking on GhanaWeb's Health Focus, Acheampong said, "The main causes are diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels."

She noted that aside from biological factors, social factors, including economic problems, stress, and some physical activities, can cause ED.

"If you are poor, you can't have an erection, which affects your performance. Another thing I've noticed about the youth is cycling. Cycling all day puts so much pressure on your testicles and can affect sexual performance," she added.

Watch the full episode of Health Focus on Erectile Dysfunction below:

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