Erectile dysfunction is affecting more young men than ever - here's why

For years now, sexual health experts have been striving to remove harmful stigmas surrounding erectile dysfunction.

More specifically, doctors hoped to tackle the long-standing misconception that ED was an issue that predominantly affected older gentlemen, especially those aged 50 and above.

It was also generally understood that the reason behind this frustrating enigma was largely psychological - caused by nerves surrounding sexual performance, or a lack of mental arousal.

Apparently, however, this admirable mission to break bedroom taboos hasn't been able to prevent a stark and sudden rise in cases amongst younger lads.

According to a new study cited by Science Direct, one in four men under 40 is fighting a losing battle to either get it up or keep it up, ahead of or during sexual intercourse, on a regular basis.

Could an early exposure to porn play a part in ED issues? (Getty Stock Images)

This disheartening experience has also been observed to have a detrimental impact on both the mental wellbeing and sexual satisfaction of sufferers.

Paediatric urology chief, Dr Lane Palmer, told The Post: "We’re clearly seeing an increase in concern by older teenagers that they have erectile dysfunction. We're getting one or two calls a week seeking a consultation."

But why?

As we say, it was previously thought that psychological issues were to blame, and this may be somewhat true.

Could the fact that 57 per cent of 18-25 year-olds in the US watch porn at least once a month, many having started before the age of 16, be having an impact on the perception of ideal sex? Could masturbation be doing more harm than good?

"It ends up being a lot of stress, anxiety and psychological issues that are keeping them from being able to show up in their body how they want to when they’re interacting with another person," sex therapy group co-founder Rocky Tishma.

Some doctors believe the brain might be to blame in many cases (Getty Stock Images)

"Their arousal level with what they imagine is going to be much higher than what is happening in reality."

Dr Palmer agreed: "Pornography is often an exaggeration of sexuality. Now with AI, who knows what kinds of imaging and messaging are going to be created, and that’s just going to stir up more anxiety and more concern."

Doctors are also becoming increasingly concerned with physical factors having a part to play, especially with regard to blood flow.

"When we see an older patient come to the office and they have ED, they often have some combination of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and medications to treat those conditions, which can contribute to ED, along with some underlying cardiovascular disease," board-certified urologist Dr Jason B. Carter.

It's also thought that hormones could be playing a part in erectile dysfunction prevalence amongst youngsters, along with lifestyle factors, like smoking, substance abuse and poor diet.

Could it simply be that men feel more comfortable talking about ED nowadays? (Getty Stock Images)

"Typically, older gentlemen are going to be more likely to have erectile inconsistencies because of biological factors," Tishma explained.

The issue is, however, that many health issues that could cause ED wouldn't appear during tests of otherwise fit young men.

"But recently, a lot of younger men are coming in after going through a primary care provider or a urologist and finding there’s nothing wrong physiologically."

Another explanation for the sudden surge in cases is that there hasn't actually been a surge at all.

In fact, some medics believe society's relatively new openness to discussions about erectile dysfunction makes it appear as though there's been a boom in cases, when actually, young men just feel more comfortable discussing issues with their manhood.

"I think it’s actually become more socially acceptable to have ED," board-certified urologist Joel Hillelsohn explained. "This has always persisted, and patients have just suffered in silence."