Okay guys, no one wants to admit when there is a problem. Get over it! If you live long enough, you will experience some form of ED.
Erectile dysfunction is generally thought of as a condition only affecting older men, but a new study shows just how many young men may also have ED. The study published in “The Journal of Sexual Medicine”, shows that one in four men at an outpatient clinic who sought help for erectile dysfunction (a condition where a man has a problem having or maintaining an erection) was actually under the age of 40. Plus, nearly half of those men under age 40 — 48.8 percent of them — had a severe case of the sexual condition, compared with 40 percent of men older than age 40.So when it happens, seek help from medical professionals!
A much more common problem that affects the majority of men at some point in their life is the occasional failure to achieve an erection, which can occur for a variety of reasons, such as from drinking too much alcohol or being extremely tired. Failure to achieve an erection less than 20% of the time is not unusual and treatment is rarely needed. Failure to achieve an erection more than 50% of the time, however, generally indicates there is a problem requiring treatment.1
Simply put, erectile dysfunction is the failure to obtain or sustain an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse. This condition can be absolute, meaning you are unable to have erections at all or it may just happen every once in a while.
Risk Factors for ED:
- Age – there is a correlation in age and the increase incidence of ED. The correlation relates more to the diseases associated with getting old rather than the fact of getting older. There is no reason a man and/or a woman can not enjoy a healthy sex life well into their 80’s and beyond!
- Race – the fact is some minority groups face higher rates of ED.
- Health Status – 70% of ED cases are attributed to the following conditions: diabetes, kidney disease, alcoholism, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, vascular disease, endocrine disorders and neurologic disease.2 ED maybe a marker for overall cardiac function and could be a sign pointing to a more serious condition that needs to be evaluated.
- Weight – obese men have a much higher incidence of ED and Low testosterone.
- Mental Health – physiological issues such as stress, guilt, depression and anxiety can contribute to ED.
- Lifestyle – increase use of alcohol, prescription medications, smoking or illegal drugs increase the incidence of ED. In fact, for men under the age of 40, smoking is the biggest reason for ED. Maintaining an erection requires healthy blood supply and nicotine causes blood vessels to contract.
- Medications – A number of medications prescribed to men can take a toll on their sex lives, and may even cause ED. Common prescribed medications for blood pressure, antihistamines, antidepressants and diuretics can actually cause ED.
