Basics

We know that as men get older, they are more likely to have sexual dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction involves many issues that affect successful sex, one of which is erectile dysfunction (ED). This also applies to a man’s general sexual desire and the general quality of his erection.

Numerous large studies in the United States and around the world have shown this. However, age does not explain everything. In fact, the clear conclusion from studies that have looked at the causes of erectile dysfunction is that, regardless of age, many risk factors for erectile dysfunction are to some degree controllable. For example, with the right diet and exercise, you can lower your risk of erectile dysfunction and the risk of other health problems that can cause or worsen erectile dysfunction.

Here’s a guide to help you understand how age and erectile dysfunction are related, and how other risk factors affect your chances of developing erectile dysfunction.

Do you have erectile dysfunction?

Getting an erection is a complex process in which physiological and psychological processes interact on an erect penis. Erectile dysfunction is defined as a common problem with getting or maintaining an erection for satisfying sex.

If you have erectile dysfunction, you should know that it is treatable in most cases. If the symptoms of your erectile dysfunction are caused by other medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and depression, your healthcare provider may recommend treatment that specifically targets these conditions. They may also prescribe medications specifically to treat erectile dysfunction, such as sildenafil (Viagra), tadalafil (Cialis), or vardenafil (Levitra). Erectile dysfunction can be caused by physical or mental problems and may be more likely if there are risk factors, including old age. If you’re wondering how your age affects your risk for erectile dysfunction, this guide is for you.

What Research Tells Us About Aging and Erectile Dysfunction

There is no specific age at which the penis suddenly stops working and an erection no longer occurs. And although erectile dysfunction is common, not all men will have this problem. While we can’t say when erectile dysfunction will occur, there are many large studies that give us insight into the relationship between sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction, and age. We’ll go over some of the main studies here.

In the study with the largest number of male participants to date, researchers looked at 31,742 male medical professionals in the United States to understand how age and other factors affect the rate of erectile dysfunction. (Men with prostate cancer that can cause erectile dysfunction were not included in the study.) The results of these studies, which we will discuss below, were published in 2003 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Here is the breakdown of respondents by age:

The study results of this study showed that the majority of men aged 53 to 59 (74%) rated their ability to function sexually as “good” (30%) or “very good” (44%). . At the older end of the spectrum, the opposite was true: the majority (64%) of men aged 80 to 90 rated their ability to function sexually as “poor” (15%) or “very bad” ( 49%). Only 10% of men over 80 rated “good” (8%) or “very good” (2%).

In addition to these results, the study also looked at how sexual desire changes with the age of men. The group of men aged 53 to 59 generally thought their sex drive was good. Seventy percent of these men said their desire was “good” (36%) or “very good” (34%). In contrast, only 26% of men aged 80 to 90 said their desire was “good” (20%) or “very good” (6%).

This study also observed a strong link between age and erectile dysfunction. Specifically, less than 2% of men who reported erectile dysfunction said they started before the age of 40, and only 4% said they started between 40 and 49 years old. But when you look at 50 years or more, there has been a big increase. About a quarter of men said their erection problems started between the ages of 50 and 59, and 40% said they started between the ages of 60 and 69.

Chronic diseases and other risk factors are also important in erectile dysfunction. In the study, the researchers focused on the following chronic diseases:

• Heart disease
• Hypertension
• Diabetes
• Career
• Cancer (other than prostate cancer)
• They also noticed the following risk factors:
• Take antidepressants.
• Consume more than 2 alcoholic beverages a day.
• From smoking
• Overweight or obesity (BMI 25 kg / m2 or more)
• Exercise infrequently (less than 21.5 metabolic equivalents per week)
• Watching TV for more than 8.5 hours a week

They found that men who did not have any of these diseases or risk factors had the lowest degree of erectile dysfunction in any age group.

These findings are consistent with the results of other leading studies of age and sexual function in men. Take, for example, the Massachusetts study of aging men. It was one of the first major studies to look at the link between age and erectile dysfunction. In this study, researchers interviewed 1,085 men aged 40 to 70 for 9 years from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. The results showed a strong link between declining sexual function and progress in sexual function. Age along with decline men often had sex and the number of monthly erections they had when they were old.

A recent 2007 study of the sexual habits of 1,455 American men (along with 1,550 women) also found that erection problems were more common in older men than in younger men. And he supported the strong link we have already mentioned between “good health” and lower levels of sexual problems and higher levels of sexual satisfaction; which is strange, much more for men than for women. The most common cause of sexual inactivity in the men and women examined was poor health in male partners. Of the 57- to 85-year-olds who reported being intimate but sexually inactive, 55% of men and 64% of women said that the main cause of their sexual inactivity was men’s poor partner health.

Another 2007 study focused on data collected from 2126 men who participated in the 2001 National Survey of Health and Nutrition (NHANES) from 2001 to 2002, and published data specifically on erectile dysfunction. The findings reflect trends observed in other studies: 5% of men aged 20 to 39 years had erectile dysfunction compared to 70% of men older than 70 years. Again, strong links between erectile dysfunction and ill health were observed: almost 90% of men with erectile dysfunction had cardiovascular disease or at least one major risk factor (eg high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking or diabetes). And they were also much less likely to be physically active.

The latest study, which we will describe in detail here, is the Global Study on Sexual Attitudes and Behavior (GSSAB), a study among 13,882 women and 13,618 men aged 40 to 80 from 29 different countries. The purpose of this study was to collect data on all aspects of sex and relationships between different ethnicities and cultures. The effect of age on erection problems has been strong in different areas and cultures, and the connections between erection problems and other health problems have been similar.