Patient Education

WHAT IS ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION?

For most Canadian adults, sexual health is an important part of their overall well-being. In fact, most men and women expect to enjoy a healthy sexual relationship, including the option of sexual intercourse, well into their older years.

What is Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is the persistent inability of a man to get or maintain an erection that is satisfactory for sexual activity. It is a common and treatable medical condition. You are not alone. ED is a common health problem among men. In fact, current research indicates that ED could affect one in three sexually active adult Canadian men. While life stressors (stress, fatigue, anxiety and even bad timing), can put the occasional kibosh on an erection, when the problem persists for three months or more, it is ED. For these men, and their sexual partners, ED has significant consequences: it can cause a loss of self-esteem, relationship difficulties and emotional stress that affects all aspects of their lives.

Here are the common symptoms of ED:

• Inability to get or difficulty maintaining an erection;
• Erections that are not hard enough for penetration;
• Inability to maintain an erection after penetration;
• Inability to maintain an erection long enough to complete intercourse;
• Unsatisfactory intercourse.

ED is more frequently seen in men after the age of 40 (but it can occur earlier). Approximately 52 per cent of Canadian men between the ages of 40 and 70 -- an estimated three to four million -- have erectile dysfunction. While the incidence of ED increases with age, it is important to know, however, that ED is not an inevitable result of aging. In fact, that's a myth. Although ED is more common in older men, it is not caused by age. Older men tend to have a higher rate because they are more likely to have one or more of the conditions that cause it. As time goes by, what a man can expect are changes that will affect sexual functioning. A man's erection may not be as hard, the desire to have sex may decrease and the time it takes and the amount of stimulation required to become fully erect may increase. It will take a longer period of time to become re-aroused as well. Really, all that's required are a few adjustments in your pattern of lovemaking.