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Mens Health > Erectile Dysfunction Forum > Reasons for impotency
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Q: Reasons for impotency
asked by: DoctorQuestion on December 16th, 2008
I am only 21 years old and have been going through bouts of impotence since i was 18. It has recently gotten worse. I also started losing my hair at 18. It has now reached a point where I have no sex drive, trouble sleeping, very lethargic, losing weight, and headaches. Do you think this could be caused by some type of pituitary brain tumor?


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Dr. Nikola Gjuzelov , MD
replied on December 23rd, 2008
Erectile Dysfunction Answer A5140
One of the reasons for impotency could by decreased function of the genital organs (hypogonadism). The function of the genital organs can be disturbed on 3 levels: testicles, pituitary gland and hypothalamus. In the case of secondary hypogonadism the problem is located in the pituitary gland. If the pituitary gland doesn’t produce enough FSH and LH, the testicles won’t produce enough testosterone. Lack of testosterone can be manifested with impotency. One of the reasons for pituitary failure could be a pituitary tumor. But because the pituitary produces many hormones (FSH, LH, ACTH, TSH, ADH) impotency won’t be the only symptom. A pituitary tumor also causes pressure on the surrounding brain structures which is manifested with neurological symptoms (for example, pressure on the optic nerves causes certain vision problems).

You can request evaluation of the blood testosterone, FSH and LH level to find out if your impotency is caused by endocrine reasons (including pituitary failure).

You could consult an urologist about your problem.





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