Cigarettes have long been part of the mystique of romance and sexuality—look at Bogart and Bacall curling gray smoke from their lips as they speak seductively to one another—but in reality smoking can make sex go up in smoke.
There is much scientific evidence that smoking can lead to hardening of the arteries—including arteries that are vital to erection because they let blood flow to the penis. When these arteries harden or narrow they are unable to expand enough to allow blood flow sufficient for erection.
This doesn’t mean that smoking cigarettes will automatically lead to impotence; there are too many potent 25-year-old smokers who disprove that notion. What is true is that, over time, smoking can increase your risk of narrowed arteries—and thus impotence. Indeed, research indicates that in some highly sensitive individuals cigarette smoking may cause impotence even without permanently narrowing the arteries, just by preventing the arteries from dilating enough to allow erection. Stopping smoking “cures” this problem.
And smoking is linked to erection difficulties in another way: It can cause bladder cancerthat requires surgery, which in turn causes impotence. Patients who have radiation therapy for the cancer instead of surgery also may become impotent, because radiation in the pelvic area may damage nerves or blood vessels essential for erection.
The problem is so obvious that one urologist tells his patients to choose between sex or cigarettes. Faced with such a choice, most opt for sex, he reports. While kicking the habit may not be sufficient treatment for most people, it can help many men with erection problems get back to normal.
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