Rates of younger men experiencing erectile dysfunction in the UK are on the rise. Erectile dysfunction (ED) - the medical term for being unable to get or maintain an erection - typically increases with age. But according to recent reports, it is now impacting more men in their twenties and thirties.
A 2021 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine found that ED is more common in young men than previously thought. Over a quarter of males seeking medical care for ED were under the age of 40, and nearly half of these were recorded as severe cases. With Men's Health Week (June 10 - 16) raising awareness of health problems impacting boys and men, the Mirror speaks to Dr Jeff Foster, GP and men's health specialist, about the rise of ED and what can be done.
Dr Foster says: "Erectile dysfunction is often seen as a problem of older age, and around half of men over the age of 40 will experience ED. However, younger men are also experiencing the condition with research showing more than a quarter of new ED cases are now diagnosed in men under 40." The reasons for this increase in younger men are "complex", Dr Foster explains, but there are clear patterns.
"In younger men, ED is often rooted in psychological issues such as anxiety, stress, depression, and sexual inhibitions," he says. "There is also evidence that easy access to pornography is an increasingly common factor." "Cardiovascular risk factors and obesity, which are a common cause of ED in all ages, are often overlooked.