Erectile dysfunction affects anywhere between 3% and 75% of men in the UK. (Estimates vary because studies use different criteria and assessment methods to define ED and the ages of the sampled participants may differ, King’s College, 2019.)

Despite its increasing prevalence as men age, ED is often a source of shame, embarrassment and frustration but the penis market is big. When finding a solution that works for individuals, size certainly matters.

Causes of erectile dysfunction

As with any health issue, the best way to find a suitable solution is to understand the cause. ED can indicate an underlying health concern such as “low testosterone, vascular disorders, diabetes or heart disease” (The Times, 2021) so get a medical check-up in the first instance. In the absence of health concerns, occasional ED is nothing to worry about (if you frequently experience ED, or if you’re worried, speak to your GP). Only you know what’s “normal” for your body, so get your willy checked out if you think something’s up with it not going up.

Some common causes of ED include:

• Health conditions (e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity)
• Hormonal imbalances
• Psychological factors (e.g. stress, anxiety, depression, feeling distracted or bored)
• Lifestyle factors (e.g. smoking, excessive alcohol or porn consumption, drug use, lack of exercise)
• Side effects of certain medications

Solutions to erectile dysfunction

Lifestyle changes: Cut down on booze, stop smoking and taking drugs, do some exercise, improve your diet and check the side effects of your medication.

Pop a blood-flow boosting pill: Viagra and Cialis are household brand names to help with ED but there are much more affordable versions of these ED meds that use the same active ingredients. Hims sells and ships UK-licensed ED treatments directly to your door – some are taken on an as-needed basis, others are taken daily. The medication only increases blood flow to the penis and lasts for about 36 hours. When the root cause of ED is psychological, a more lasting treatment is needed.

Speak to someone: Some men opt for celibacy as a long-term solution but if erectile issues are causing you enough worry that you’ve decided to stop having sex, it might be time to speak to a professional. Mojo offers one-to-one counselling sessions to men to ultimately improve their sexual performance.

Consider CBD: Taking a few drops of high-quality CBD oil daily (not oil with the psychotic ingredient THC) can help reduce anxiety and stress through CBD’s interaction with the endocannabinoid system and serotonin receptors. It’s thought that CBD increases the blood flow to the tissues in our body; increasing sensitivity and boosting the body’s natural lubrication. While there’s limited research on the role CBD can have on erectile dysfunction, we know that Cannabis Sativa (the plant from which CBD is derived) was used in Ayurvedic therapies to help improve ejaculatory functions and the endocannabinoid system is directly linked with the female sex drive. Why is this relevant? Because there are many endocannabinoid receptors in areas of the human body associated with desire, sexual pleasure and reproduction as well as areas of the brain involved with libido. So CBD might help with ED, though do check with your doctor before incorporating a supplement into your diet.

There really is no shame in ED. It’s more common than you might think and there are myriad ways to help get it hard. Speaking to a GP early on can rule out underlying health concerns and provide guidance on lifestyle changes to reduce the occurrence of erectile issues.

Image by Anastasia Borisova from Pixabay