Erectile Dysfunction in Young Men

Erectile dysfunction is a common ailment in older men. It is estimated that around 50% of men older than 60 years suffered from ED. It was previously thought that ED rarely occurred in a young man. But a recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine revealed that the disease is more prevalent in the young population than was previously thought. According to the same study around 26% of men under the age of 40 are suffering from ED which is alarmingly higher. However, there is some good news that only 40% of these young men have severe ED.

There are a few reasons for erectile dysfunction in the young population. Unlike the older men that suffer from ED due to aging effects, younger men have ED due to underlying health issues or due to inappropriate lifestyle including smoking and drinking. Therefore, it becomes important that its diagnosis is focused on evaluating the underlying etiology for better management of ED in young men.

Common Causes of ED in Young Men

There are three main causes of ED in young men. The topmost cause is not the physical one but the psychological one. The topmost psychological issue responsible for ED is anxiety. Other psychological issues include nervousness related to pregnancy of your partner, feeling hesitant to wear a condom or any type of sexual performance anxiety that can cause ED.

The 2nd most common cause is the narrowing of blood vessels due to any underlying health issue. The narrowing of vessels can be due to high blood pressure, smoking, or high cholesterol among other reasons. The reduced flow of blood to the penis due to narrow vessels can cause a poor erection and subsequent ED. In case of a family history of any heart disease can multiply the threat of ED.

The third most common cause of ED is related to medicines. Some medicines have ingredients that can cause ED. Most of these medicines are antidepressants and related to heart disease or used in controlling blood pressure.

The common Challenges to Manage ED in young men

Dealing with ED in young men is much more challenging than in older people. As these are young, healthy, and without any underlying diseases most of the time, the diagnosis of ED cause becomes more challenging for the urologists. The situation becomes even complex for both patients and urologist as most of these patients have anxiety, mood disorder, or depression disorder. The magnitude of these psychological issues due to ED is more pronounced as these patients are under the burden of expectations to have active sexual life from their partners compared to older people. Most of these patients are self-diagnosed for ED and sometimes even self-treated, thanks to treatment options available online. Some of them will try multiple urologists to find the solution that they can accept and most of the time have unrealistic expectations of rapid surgical cure.

The first and most important challenge to manage ED is to diagnose the main reason behind it. If the reason is a psychological one, suggest the medicines that are not ED promoter as some of the antidepressants can aggravate the ED. Another common challenge to manage ED is porn-related. Many experts believe porn is increasingly a cause of ED named porn-induced erectile dysfunction. Managing ED in these patients is more challenging as it becomes necessary to convince these patients to stop watching porn. A lot of efforts are required to normalize such patients which may take a toll on the urologist that are dealing with it. Managing ED in these patients that are emotional and demanding may invoke feelings of frustration in urologists.

Treatment Options for ED in young men

There are different options to treat ED depending on the underlying causes. If ED is due to psychological issues like stress or depression, a combination of medicine and counseling can treat it. If ED is due to smoking and drinking, small lifestyle changes can make a great difference. For other types of ED, medication options are available to treat it.

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