Smoking is either the cause or a risk factor for numerous physical ailments of the human body. Male sexuality is no exception to this notion. Luckily smoking is less of a problem than in the past because about half as many men smoke today as in the past, with even less women smoking than in the past. However, about 24% of men still smoke and other men can be exposed to secondhand smoke, so this deadly habit still remains a health concern for men and their significant others. Smoking is particularly relevant to teenage males because this is the period when most men and women begin a habit, often to deal with stress associated with home or school, that can last for decades to come. Smoking interferes with all aspects of a man’s sexual health from initial attraction to sexual performance and beyond.

Research demonstrates that men smoking more than 20 cigarettes a day have a 60% higher risk of erectile dysfunction compared to their peers who do not smoke. This is a substantial level of risk which should garner the attention of those who smoke on a regular basis. For irregular smokers, 20 cigarettes a day is the same as one pack a day. According to researchers smoking can have a significant and negative effect on the ability to conceive. The toxic chemicals in cigarette smoke can damage blood vessels leading to erectile dysfunction. Smoking may also lead to cancer of different components of genitals which can cause impotence. Smoking can also damage penile tissues which impact the ability of a man’s penis to function normally.

Desire can be viewed as a man’s willingness to engage in sexual intercourse. It is often more commonly described as sexual libido. Without it, men are less interested in initiating sex or responding to their partner initiating a sexual encounter. Satisfaction refers to a man’s feelings during and after sex. The basic question is whether the experience met the expectations that a man had or not. Researchers use both desire and satisfaction to assess how men feel about their sex lives. The problem of decreased desire or satisfaction arises from the impact of smoking on the physical functioning of men. Once they have physical problems, their desire to have sex decreases because of inability to perform as well as they would like and/or expect. The same occurs with satisfaction. When having sex, a man may not be able to perform normally (such as maintaining an erection for the regular amount of time) so he will not be satisfied with the experience. If he is satisfying his partner less than before as a result of any abnormalities linked to smoking, this may also cause lower satisfaction. For younger men, such changes in sexual performance related to smoking can make desire and satisfaction much lower than their peers.

This “injury” can adversely affect erectile functioning. Again, such a problem may lead to a lower libido.

According to a researcher at Boston University , this may be more of a problem for men who start smoking when they are younger as a result of damage to blood vessels and penile tissue. Smaller penis size, especially if a man was used to a larger size before, can have numerous psychological effects on a man’s well-being further exacerbating the underlying physical problem.