Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition that is commonly associated with older age, but the inability to get or maintain an erection can also affect younger men even teens.
ED is more common in men under the age of 40 than you might think, though the causes of ED in younger men are often different than in older men. An erection involves the brain, nerves, hormones, muscles, and circulatory system. These systems work together to fill the erectile tissue in the penis with blood.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition that typically affects people with a penis who are over the age of 40. By the time a person is in their 40s, they will have a roughly 40% chance of having some form of ED—whether mild, moderate, or severe. For every decade thereafter, the risk increases by 10%.
While the risk of ED has been linked to older age, men under age 40 are also affected. A 2013 study that was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that 26% of cases of ED roughly one in four occur in people ages 40 and under.
ED is more common in men under the age of 40 than you might think, though the causes of ED in younger men are often different than in older men. An erection involves the brain, nerves, hormones, muscles, and circulatory system. These systems work together to fill the erectile tissue in the penis with blood.
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a condition that typically affects people with a penis who are over the age of 40. By the time a person is in their 40s, they will have a roughly 40% chance of having some form of ED—whether mild, moderate, or severe. For every decade thereafter, the risk increases by 10%.
While the risk of ED has been linked to older age, men under age 40 are also affected. A 2013 study that was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that 26% of cases of ED roughly one in four occur in people ages 40 and under.
Causes of Erectile Dysfunction in Younger Men
An erection is a complex physiological response involving the brain, hormones, nerves, muscles, and the circulatory system. Breakdown in any of these systems can lead to ED. In most cases, more than one factor is involved.
In addition to physiological (organic) causes, there are also psychological (psychogenic) causes some of which play a central role in the onset of ED. Although ED in younger men was once thought to be almost exclusively psychogenic, more recent research suggests that 15% to 72% of ED cases involve a wholly organic cause.
In addition to physiological (organic) causes, there are also psychological (psychogenic) causes some of which play a central role in the onset of ED. Although ED in younger men was once thought to be almost exclusively psychogenic, more recent research suggests that 15% to 72% of ED cases involve a wholly organic cause.
Is Porn to Blame?
Beyond these kinds of mental health problems, there’s another common culprit for ED in younger men, namely porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED).
Whether this is a widespread phenomenon, we don’t know – cause and effect can get jumbled here, and it’s hard to say whether the ubiquity of porn truly leads to higher ED rates. However, for a minority of men. They can easily maintain an erection while watching porn, only to struggle with a partner.
“When you’re in your teens watching pornography, that is your learned sexual experience,”. “It becomes your brain’s way of relating to sex and it’s hugely problematic, because making love to your laptop avoids all the social nuances and physicality of having sex.”
Not only does porn lead to unrealistic expectations about sex (including what your own and your partner’s bodies ought to look like), it can also mean you get used to self-stimulation and become less responsive to the sensations of intercourse. It can prime you to respond first and foremost to novelty.
With porn you’re going from video to video, and from new person to new person, which is highly arousing,. “When you try to translate that into real life with one single person, that relationship can decrease its value in terms of novelty and excitement and become less arousing.”
Whether this is a widespread phenomenon, we don’t know – cause and effect can get jumbled here, and it’s hard to say whether the ubiquity of porn truly leads to higher ED rates. However, for a minority of men. They can easily maintain an erection while watching porn, only to struggle with a partner.
“When you’re in your teens watching pornography, that is your learned sexual experience,”. “It becomes your brain’s way of relating to sex and it’s hugely problematic, because making love to your laptop avoids all the social nuances and physicality of having sex.”
Not only does porn lead to unrealistic expectations about sex (including what your own and your partner’s bodies ought to look like), it can also mean you get used to self-stimulation and become less responsive to the sensations of intercourse. It can prime you to respond first and foremost to novelty.
With porn you’re going from video to video, and from new person to new person, which is highly arousing,. “When you try to translate that into real life with one single person, that relationship can decrease its value in terms of novelty and excitement and become less arousing.”
How ED in Young Men Is Diagnosed
Erectile dysfunction is closely linked to aging, in part because older men often have conditions like hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes. Doctors will often take a more extensive approach when diagnosing ED in younger men.
The doctor will also ask specific questions about your condition, including when the problem started, how severe it is, and what is going on in your life. These questions will help them figure out whether the primary cause is likely to be organic or psychogenic.
How to Fix Erectile Dysfunction
The ED treatments that are often used in older people can also be tried in younger people, but the treatment that will work best will vary from person to person. A combination of lifestyle changes, counseling, medications, and other therapeutic approaches is usually tried first.
