About Impotence Impotence is the inability to achieve or sustain an erection of sufficient rigidity for sexual intercourse. It is estimated that approximately 25 to 30 million American men are impotent.
Impotence is caused by a number of different factors.
There are many treatment alternatives available depending on the nature, cause and severity of the impotence problem. Alprostadil Two of the treatments involve using a drug called alprostadil. Alprostadil is a hormone that helps relax smooth muscle tissue in the penis, which enables blood flow and causes an erection. This method involves using a fine needle to inject alprostadil into the base of the penis. Sold under the trade name Caverject, this method produces an erection in 5 to 20 minutes.