His and Her Health

Erectile dysfunction (ED, impotence) varies in severity; some men have a total inability to achieve an erection, others have an inconsistent ability to achieve an erection, and still others can sustain only brief erections. The variations in severity of erectile dysfunction make estimating its frequency difficult. Many men also are reluctant to discuss erectile dysfunction with their doctors, and thus the condition is under-diagnosed. Nevertheless, experts have estimated that erectile dysfunction affects 30 million men in the Untied States.

While erectile dysfunction can occur at any age, it is uncommon among young men and more common in the elderly. By age 45, most men have experienced erectile dysfunction at least some of the time. According to the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, complete impotence increases from 5% among men 40 years of age to 15% among men 70 years and older. Population studies conducted in the Netherlands found that some degree of erectile dysfunction occurred in 20% of men between ages 50 to 54, and in 50% of men between ages 70 to 78. In 1999, the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey counted 1,520,000 doctor-office visits for erectile dysfunction.

<small>[ 08-05-2009, 09:49 AM: Message edited by: Moderator ]</small>

Let's put this in perspective. Lack of libido among menopausal and post-menopausal women is probably greater than the rate of ED among men in the same age bracket. I suspect that some of the men who are not discussing it with their doctors aren't doing so because nobody wants them to have erections in the first place. ED is a relationship issue, even if its cause may be individual, an obvious fact that's often ignored in short write-ups like this.

It's not uncommon for an otherwise peaceful, though perhaps sexually unsatisfactory, relationship to be turned into turmoil by fixing the man's ED. Which is why many therapists want to treat ED in a relationship context, not an individual one.