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Sexual Issues Study

Erectile dysfunction is more common in older men, but erection problems are not a normal part of aging. A recent study published in The American Journal of Medicine suggests that men between the ages of 55 and 75 may be able to cut down their risk of erectile dysfunction by having sexual intercourse at least once a week.

The study, which was done in Finland, followed 989 men for five years and questioned them about any Erectile dysfunction symptoms. The mean age of the men was 59.2 years. None of the men had erection problems when they entered the study. After five years, men who reported having sexual intercourse less than once per week were twice as likely to experience erection problems as men who had sexual intercourse at least once per week.

The researchers concluded that, for men aged 55 to 75, regular sexual intercourse protects against Erectile dysfunction. If you fit that category, the study could be telling you to "use it or lose it." But as with most problems, the solution to erectile problems is probably not so simple. Sexual issues that contribute to Erectile dysfunction include many social, emotional, and physical factors.

It makes sense that men who are in good relationships and in good physical and mental shape tend to have sex more often. But does that mean that the actual act of sexual intercourse, or for that matter masturbation, really protects them against erectile dysfunction?

The idea that using the penis keeps you from developing erection problems makes some sense, according to some experts.

"The penis is a muscle and like any other muscle it needs exercise, so more exercise is good for Erectile dysfunction," says Nelson E. Bennett, MD, a urologist and erectile dysfunction expert at the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. "But that may not mean you need to have frequent intercourse or masturbation to protect yourself from Erectile dysfunction. It's the erection that does the exercise, not the ejaculation, and most men have three to 6 erections naturally every night," notes Dr. Bennett.

Indeed, figuring out what the results of this study mean in terms of cause and effect is complex.

"It's difficult to draw any conclusions from these types of studies. People who have sex more often tend to be healthier," says Firouz Daneshgari, MD, professor and chairman of the department of urology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland. "The penis is a vascular and muscular organ, so this is a good hypothesis, but sexual function depends on a whole host of issues, including libido, desire, and brain hormones. Nocturnal erections might be enough vascular activity to protect against the physical sexual issues," says Dr. Daneshgari.