{"id":33394,"date":"2021-06-04T09:30:23","date_gmt":"2021-06-04T13:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=33394"},"modified":"2025-02-03T17:20:52","modified_gmt":"2025-02-03T22:20:52","slug":"erectile-dysfunction-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Should you expect erectile dysfunction at a certain age?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Erectile dysfunction<\/span><\/a> (ED) is the most commonly reported sex problem among men. In fact, it\u2019s estimated that some 30 million men in this country are affected by ED, which is also sometimes referred to as impotence. Medically, it\u2019s defined as the inability to get or maintain an erection that is firm enough for sex.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the risk of ED increases with age, it can\u2014and does\u2014happen to young men. But there are steps you can take to reverse ED and prevent it from becoming a problem.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cGetting an erection is primarily a hemodynamic event,\u201d explains John Valvo, MD, urologist at Rochester Regional Health and senior partner at the Center for Urology in Rochester, New York. \u201cYou need intact vascular, hormonal, and neurological systems, with a psychological overplay. As long as those systems are functioning and not interfered with by disease or medications, one should expect a normal sexual response. Certainly, men in their 80s and 90s are likely going to be impacted by ED. But it\u2019s not normal in young men, and it shouldn\u2019t be something that\u2019s accepted.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

At what age does erectile dysfunction start?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There isn\u2019t an official \u201cerectile dysfunction age,\u201d but erection problems like ED mainly affect men over 40, with prevalence increasing with age.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

52% of men aged 40-70 had some ED<\/b><\/a>, according to the Massachusetts Male Aging Study, a landmark piece of research investigating ED in healthy men. Another <\/span>study<\/span><\/a> looking at over 2,700 men found that:<\/span><\/p>\n