Erectile dysfunction

What is erectile dysfunction?

The majority of Australian men aged over 45 have some form of erectile dysfunction, but it’s much less common if you’re healthy than if you have a chronic disease, are overweight, smoke cigarettes or don’t exercise.

Erectile dysfunction becomes more likely as you age. If you’re under 40 and have erectile dysfunction, you’re among up to 10% of men in your age group who are affected. If you’re 85 or older and have erectile dysfunction, you’re like nearly all men your age.

Symptoms of erectile dysfunction

If you have erectile dysfunction, you might:

• Have difficulty getting or keeping an erection
• Experience problems engaging in sexual intercourse due to your penis not being hard enough.

Causes of erectile dysfunction

Health problems increase your risk of erectile dysfunction. For example, you’re more than twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction if you have diabetes than if you don’t. Other health problems that increase your risk of erectile dysfunction are:

• Parkinson’s disease
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• Stroke
• Cancer
• Depression and/or anxiety
• Blood clotting problems
• Osteoporosis
• High blood pressure
• Arthritis
• Thyroid problems
• Asthma
• High cholesterol
• Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS)
• Obesity
• Lack of exercise
• Sleep apnoea
• Long-term alcohol use
• Smoking

Prostate cancer treatment increases your likelihood of erectile dysfunction considerably, with 85% of men with previous prostate cancerhaving erectile dysfunction.

Getting and maintaining an erection involves changes in blood flow within your penis in response to nerve stimulation. If something interferes with the function of the blood vessels or nerve transmission, this can cause erectile dysfunction.

The same mechanisms that control blood flow in your penis also control blood flow throughout your body. This is why erectile dysfunction is often a sign of cardiovascular disease. In fact, if you have erectile dysfunction, you are at higher risk than normal of coronary heart disease, stroke and death.

Other factors that can contribute to erectile dysfunction include:

• Low testosterone levels
• Some medications (e.g. antidepressants, blood pressure-lowering drugs)
• Some recreational drugs (e.g. nicotine, heroin)
• Psychological factors like depression or anxiety, or relationship problems.

Health effects of erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction can have a significant effect on how you and your partner feel, so it’s important for that reason alone to seek help. However, an erection is not an absolute requirement for a satisfying sex life. You can have an orgasm and ejaculate without an erection.

Erectile dysfunction is often a sign of an underlying health problem. If you ignore your erectile dysfunction, you might be missing an opportunity to prevent the development of more severe disease.

Erectile dysfunction is associated with loneliness, which has its own effects on health and wellbeing.