Erectile dysfunction in young men – My Experience

Understanding Erectile dysfunction in a young man

You have heard about ED but never knew that erectile dysfunction in young men is a widespread problem in the world but no one talks about it. So, one day you woke up in the morning feeling depressed thinking you have erectile dysfunction.

Why? because last night you could not perform with your partner.

So sad, isn’t it?

Now you are in a dilemma why it happened last night. Why I didn’t get a proper hard erection sufficient for sex.

You would be wondering why a young man like me failed yesterday. I am a healthy and horny young male but what was the problem.

So, if you are confused about whether young men get ed, then you are not wrong. I am the testimony that young men can get severe ED too. Young people are also reporting problems either not getting proper hardness or problems in maintaining an erection.

Let’s Deep dive to understand when do you call it erectile dysfunction:

Failing to have an erection one time after some rounds of drink or not able to perform for even a week or during some intense stress situation is definitely not erectile dysfunction nor is fail to have a proper erection soon after orgasm is.

Erectile dysfunction is the inability to attain and maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse at least 25% of the time of intercourse. So, now you can examine yourself if you have impotence or just a minor glitch during the performance.

Here, I am not going to blabber about the similar articles which you have already read on the internet about “Young” people hardly get an erection problem, and mostly it is because of performance anxiety or psychological issues.

They claim with some report that 25% of men under 40 could be having erectile dysfunction. Quite possible. But reason can’t be always psychological, it could be physical too.

People’s reaction to the failed erection:

You waited for months to recover from this psychological ed but all along nothing is like before. Now, you never get an instant on-demand erection like before or trying hard to maintain one.

If this is the situation, then our condition was alike.

Prevalence of impotence in young males:

I would say as per the study, 26% of men under 40 are having some form of erectile dysfunction could be mild or severe. Half of that 26% are having severe ed and the rest half are having some form of ed either psychological or physical.

Researchers also noted that younger men with ED were more likely than older men with ED to smoke or use illicit drugs.

I say, the number of young men with erectile function could be higher than it is reported because I have been guiding many people and certainly, most people hesitate to reveal it to anyone.

I have noted some men don’t go to the doctor for more than 1 year of experiencing ed. It’s no shame to admit you have an erection problem because your shame is not going to solve this problem from the root and you can’t be able to get the grip on your life again.

Don’t think it as an old age problem rather it is prevalent to any age. It can affect people of any age because of many known and unknown reasons.

Symptoms of ed:

ED is defined as the inability to get and maintain an erection adequately hard for sexual intercourse.
In simple term, ED is when you can’t get an erection hard enough for penetrative sex, or if you lose the erection during intercourse.

• So symptoms are
  • Penis Shrinkage
  • No or less hard morning wood
  • Not getting a hard erection during sex or masturbation.
  • Not able to maintain an erection during sex or masturbation i.e losing erection quickly

It is OK if occasionally you do not get a hard enough erection during sex or masturbation. You are a person and not a machine who can work perfectly at any time.

Don’t worry, it’s normal. So In a nutshell we can define ED as the inability to get and maintain an erection adequately hard for sexual intercourse over a period of some weeks or months.

Causes of erectile dysfunction in young men:

• Physical Causes
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Unhealthy Diet
  • Lack of exercise
  • Smoking
  • Heavy Drinking
  • Hormonal Imbalance
  • Drug Abuse
  • Stroke
  • paralysis
  • Prostate cancer

• Psychological Causes
  • Depression
  • Performance anxiety
  • Stress of work/money/job
  • Relationship issues

If you don’t have anything mentioned above, then your condition is similar to the condition I used to have. You should check other less known 12 surprising reasons for erectile dysfunction.

Do I have physical ED or psychological ed:

So, now you know enough about ED but still thinking you fall in which category of ED i.e Physical or psychological.

Let me clarify to you, Sometimes, it may happen that you would not be able to perform on bed. It’s absolutely normal. It has happened to me in the past. It could be due to stress or depression or fatigue.

But I know this becomes a vicious cycle and it pops up again and again in your mind. You keep on thinking about it and slowly accept that you have ED. YOU ARE WRONG. Just check your morning erection and erection during masturbation for 15 DAYS. If it is hard enough for penetrative sex, your issue could be psychological

If after your unsuccessful performance, you have started getting a weak morning erection and also erection during masturbation is not hard enough like before for 15 straight days, then IT COULD BE PHYSICAL.

Now, you can check on which category you fall on.

ED diagnosis (for young adults):

There are so many articles about impotence diagnosis. I would be sharing with you my experiences of ED diagnosis and the most common test performed by specialists.

Most of the time, specialists do a physical examination and ask about your medical history. If you have any chronic health condition, they may directly link it to your ED and ask for further tests.

• So, test for underlying physical condition might include:-
  • Blood Test – This is to check any sign of diabetes, Testosterone levels, and other diseases
  • Physical Exam:- Specialist perform a careful examination of your penis and testicles and try to check any nerves sensation
  • Blood Pressure – Blood pressure is also blamed for weak erection so your doctor may check if you have any abnormal BP
  • Hormones – Testosterone and thyroid could also be the culprit for erectile dysfunction so your doctor may ask you to get it tested.
  • Penile Doppler Test – So Guys, Note it. This is the most important test to check your blood flow in the penis. This test is performed by a specialist who injects papaverine in the penis to introduce artificial erection and a video image is created with the help of a handheld device to check the flow of blood around the penis. This is quite embarrassing and painful too. The risk associated is priapism, an erection that lasts for a long time. Any man who has an erection that lasts for more than three hours after an injection should rush to the hospital immediately.

So, if you have done all the tests and all are normal, your problem will be called psychological ED. All the doctors I met all over India declared my impotence psychological because my tests were normal but deep down in my heart I knew that doctors were wrong.

My conclusion: Our medical science has not matured enough to check every inch of our body. Our body is very complex and these tests cannot check every corner of the body for abnormalities. Rather we have to understand by ourselves what went wrong

-Abhay SIngh

Treatment option of impotence for young adults:

Below are the few treatment options which are most popular. There are new advanced treatment options available that are not listed below.

Treatment	Onset of action	Effectiveness Duration	Advantages	Disadvantages
Sildenafil (Viagra)	30-60 Minutes	Max 10 hours	Oral Medicines, Very effective	Have side effects, cannot be used by men taking nitrates supplements
Vardenafil (Levitra)	15-30 Minutes	Max 10 hours	Oral Medicines, Very effective	Have side effects, cannot be used by men taking nitrates supplements
Tadalafil (Cialis)	30-75 Minutes	Last for 3 Days	Oral Medicines, Very effective	Have side effects, cannot be used by men taking nitrates supplements
Penile Injection (Caverject etc)	5-15 Minutes	30-60 Minutes	Highly effective	Few Side effects, unpleasant experience to inject in the penis, can cause pain in the penis and danger of priapism
Muse (Alprostadil Urethral Suppository)	5-15 Minutes	30-60 Minutes	Moderately effective	May cause penile pain, requires training, may cause dizziness
vacuum pump	Immediate	While in use	Highly effective	It requires training, feels awkward and inconvenient, may cause penile deadness and bruises.
Penile band/Cock ring	Immediate	While in use	Effective for those suffering from venous leakage	May be awkward to use it.
Stem Cell Therapy	2.5 – 6 Months	Permanent Solution	Most effective, repairs damaged penile blood vessels, veins and nerves	High cost involve
Shock Wave therapy	15-30 Days	May/May not work(Permanent)	It works permanently for those who have blood clots in penile arteries	Not 100% certainty of working and may work for someone and maynot work for others
Penile Implant	40-75 Days	Permanent	Most effect	High cost, cumbersome and awkward surgery, risk of infection in some cases, never be able to gain natural erection again

Frequently Asked Questions :

Q – Can you get Ed in your 20s?

A – Yes, you can get ED at any age. Erectile dysfunction in young men is pervasive. Your health affects your erection quality and not age. Although ED is more common in men as they age but young males are not untouched because of lifestyle choices and some chronic diseases.

Most of the time, the reason for ED in young men is unknown.

Q – What causes erectile dysfunction at a young age?

A – There is no specific answer but obesity, lack of exercise, heavy drinking, smoking, poor diet or chronic diseases counts for ED.

Most of the time psychological factors like depression, performance anxiety or stress also causes weak erection. Don’t be sad and don’t blame anyone about your condition. you are not the only young man who is suffering from erectile dysfunction.

Sometimes ED is caused by unknown reasons in young men

Q – How can you fix erectile dysfunction at a young age?

A – Fixes depends on the kind of ED viz Psychological ED or Physical ED. The most common fix is the use of oral medicine viagra, Cialis, and ayurvedic medicines. Healthy foods, exercises, losing weight helps you in keeping healthier sexually.

Also, quitting smoking and controlling alcohol works magically in preventing ED. Alternatively, Viagra and Cialis are always available to help.

Q – Why can’t I get hard in my 20s?

A – As per reports, the most common cause of weak erection in young men is performance anxiety, depression, and stress.

But sometimes, it can be because of narrow blood vessels, diabetes, blood pressure problems, hormonal imbalance. In a nutshell, the reasons are many and need proper tests to find the actual cause of your ED.

Q – At what age does a man start to have erectile dysfunction?

A – Though there is no specific age for erectile dysfunction. It is estimated that 25% of men in the world are mild, moderately, or severely suffering from ED.

ED progresses with age and chronic diseases are blamed to be the main culprit behind impotence. Many men seeking guidance have called me and I can conclude that age is just a number and ED affects any man of any age. I have got calls from 19 Years old to 60 Years old.

Q – What causes erectile dysfunction in your 30s?

A – 30s are the time when you have to be very heedful for your health and this is the time when chances of having erectile dysfunction are more. Causes of ED in the 30s are numerous like performance anxiety, depression, stress, hormonal imbalance, diabetes, sedentary lifestyle, alcohol, drugs, and smoking.

But in some cases like mine, if you are a healthy man doing proper exercise and don’t have any such bad habits then causes are unidentifiable.

Q – How common is ED in the 30s?

Answer – ED in the 30s is as common as it is in old age. I am a witness to it. ED is more dependent on your habits and body age rather than actual age. A lot of research has been done and it varifies that about 11 to 25 % of men in their 30s had ED.

In my estimation, about 40% of people in 20s and 30s could be having erection problems either occasional or mild to moderate to severe.

Q – What causes weak erection?

Answer – Ther are various causes of impotence. Penile arteries damage, Veins damage, venous leakage, narrowing of arteries, plaque, and blockage are some underlying causes. Sometimes, ED is a result of psychological factors such as performance anxiety, depression, and stress.

Unfortunately, no one can definitely say what could be the exact cause. Though some chronic diseases contribute to ED. It is equally prevalent in healthy individuals and causes are unknown.

You can relate it to my case where I was healthy and couldn’t find any reason for my ED after the umpteenth tests.