What are your deal breakers in a relationship? Is there anything you’d see or experience at any point in a relationship that completely destroys your interest to continue? Deal breakers are different for different people. What may be considered a total knockout for “A” may be insignificant for “B”. While there may be many deal-breakers for you or just about anyone, let us explore if erectile dysfunction is an absolute deal-breaker in a relationship.
What is Erectile Dysfunction/stats?
Erectile dysfunction (ED) may be defined as the inability to get or keep an erection firm enough to have sexual intercourse.[1]Erectile Dysfunction (ED): What is it and How to treat it – Healthline It is often referred to as impotence by the layman but this term is not used by medical professionals.
Erectile dysfunction is a very common condition recognized as a quality-of-life disorder. A study published in 2012 by the NCBI Journal showed that as many as 30 million American men were affected by erectile dysfunction in the year 2012. It was also established that thirty percent of hypertensive men complained of erectile dysfunction, thus, establishing a strong link between hypertension and erectile dysfunction.[2]Nunes KP, Labazi H, Webb RC. New insights into hypertension-associated erectile dysfunction. Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension. 2012;21(2):163–170.
The prevalence of erectile dysfunction increases with age. Approximately 40% of men are affected by a form of erectile dysfunction or another at age 40, and nearly 70% at age 70[3]Feldman HA, Goldstein I, Hatzichristou DG, Krane RJ, McKinlay JB. Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: Results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. J Urol 1994; 151:54–61.; increasing by 10% of men for each decade of life.[4]The University of Wisconsin,
1 in 10 men has been estimated to have had erectile dysfunction at some point in his lifetime.[5]Cleveland Clinic, 2019 and the worldwide prevalence is expected to increase to 322 million men by 2025.[6]International Journal of Impotence Research, 2000.
Causes of Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
We are aware of the consequences of erectile dysfunction in any emotional relationship or marriage, and several factors have been highlighted as the causes of erectile dysfunction.
- Age.
- Chronic medical conditions, e.g hypertension, Diabetic Mellitus (DM), etc
- Drugs, including drugs of abuse.
- Alcohol consumption.
- Stress, etc
Erectile dysfunctions result from a failure of the blood vessels supplying the male organ (penis or phallus) to dilate (open up) properly as a result of dysfunction of the surrounding vascular smooth muscle known as the cavernosal smooth muscle (CSM).
Is Erectile Dysfunction a Deal Breaker?
So back to where we started. Is erectile dysfunction a deal-breaker in a relationship?
America Male Medical sampled responses from some women on Reddit (a social media forum) if they considered erectile dysfunction a deal-breaker for them. The question was;
Would you love and respect a man with erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation problems, is he wasn’t rich and good looking?
Well! The question introduced a lot of bias (rich and good-looking) about deciding if erectile dysfunction or any other kind of sexual problem is a deal-breaker for the women in question. But below are some of their responses.
“If I started dating a guy, and I really liked him, and I found out that he had ED/PE, I wouldn’t stop dating him and it wouldn’t make me think less of him or change my feelings. But I would encourage him to talk to his doctor and see about methods to help with his problem.”
“Sex is important to me, so I wouldn’t be able to be with a guy who suffered persistently with those problems. I don’t see what ‘rich’ has to do with that though. People should be attracted to their significant others.”
“I’d never say anything, but I’d be pretty disappointed. If I wasn’t overly interested in you to begin with it would be a deal breaker. Intercourse is my favorite part of sex, and the longer the better.”
These responses point out the importance of good sexual performance in every relationship. Erectile dysfunction or impotence could potentially be a deal-breaker if there was nothing that could be done about it. But thankfully, there are several treatment interventions for erectile dysfunction.
Having a partner that clearly understands that there is a lasting solution to the problem of erectile dysfunction will turn it from being a deal-breaker (for those who don’t know about a treatment) to just any other surmountable challenge. Erectile dysfunction is not fit to be an absolute deal-breaker when there is a myriad of treatment options available out there.
Treatment For Erectile Dysfunction
Because of the serious problems erectile dysfunction can potentially create for any relationship or marriage, this condition has been welcomed by several medical interventions in recent years.
Theoretically, the treatment of erectile dysfunction should be targeted at the primary cause. If the ED is due to stress, adequate rest should be taken. If it is due to binge alcohol consumption, it should also be addressed.
A good proportion of men who are hypertensive develop ED and this has been shown to be effectively treatable using antihypertensive.[7]Nunes, et al.
Several products have been introduced, including herbal treatments in some parts of the world. However, I will only highlight two that I stumbled across as treatments for erectile dysfunction.
VigRXPlus
Two brothers, Christopher and Michael Williams, presented this product to a panel of judges at Shark Tank. These judges were entrepreneurial tycoons who would invest money into any product idea that had good business promise. Luckily for the Williams brothers, their product, VigRXPlus, received outstanding support from the panel of investors.
The product contains Bioperine, an extract from black pepper that has been shown to enhance the erectile function of the male organ.
The product claimed to achieve the following effects:
- Bigger & Long Lasting Erections
- Maximum Pleasure & Intensified Orgasms
- Surge In Sex Drive & Energy
- Ramps Up Stamina & Staying Power
- Increased Sexual Confidence
- Experience Vitality & Peak Performance
However, these claims have not been verified by us here at Knowseeker.com
You can check out the product here on this website.
Miracle pill from Standford University
An unidentified professor at Stanford allegedly created a 100% natural formula for erectile dysfunction. The product is claimed to help increase the hardness and size of the penis during an erection.
It was alleged to have been tested in more than 9,000 men in the United States with the following claims:
- Three times more effective in increasing penile hardness and length than penis pumps and weights (I never knew anyone uses these) or any other types of interventions
- It claims to give a longer-lasting penile enlargement after regular use for 30 days.
- Average sexual intercourse of 32 minutes of more intense sex.
Similarly, these claims have not been thoroughly verified by Knowseeker.com
The secret natural formula is said to contain a blend of several natural substances that may increase testosterone levels to up to 9.7ng/ml, and the key components have been identified to include Arctium extract and guarana.
Conclusion
Begging the question one more time, is erectile dysfunction a deal-breaker? I assume “no”, however, that only stands if and only if an effective solution is provided for the condition and in due time.
References
| ↑1 | Erectile Dysfunction (ED): What is it and How to treat it – Healthline |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Nunes KP, Labazi H, Webb RC. New insights into hypertension-associated erectile dysfunction. Current Opinion in Nephrology and Hypertension. 2012;21(2):163–170. |
| ↑3 | Feldman HA, Goldstein I, Hatzichristou DG, Krane RJ, McKinlay JB. Impotence and its medical and psychosocial correlates: Results of the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. J Urol 1994; 151:54–61. |
| ↑4 | The University of Wisconsin, |
| ↑5 | Cleveland Clinic, 2019 |
| ↑6 | International Journal of Impotence Research, 2000. |
| ↑7 | Nunes, et al. |
