Can porn cause erectile dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction or impotence The inability to achieve and maintain an erection. This is a common problem for men of any age. It is believed that it affects a third of the stronger sex at some point in their lives. But in recent years, doctors have noted an increase in the number of young patients with ED.

Young men are experiencing erection problems more than ever, and experts believe that the reason is their addiction to pornography. There was even a special term porn-induced erectile dysfunction.

Porn-induced erectile dysfunction (PIED)

Because PIED is a relatively new phenomenon, doctors do not know for sure if one is directly related to the other, and therefore further research is needed. But according to Daniel Scher, a clinical psychologist, they know that "the proportion of young people suffering from PIED has been increasing exponentially lately."

Thanks to the internet, porn and now VR porn is more accessible than ever before.

Researchers have hypothesized that the advanced brain imaging technology that is being used to promote porn might lead to even more erection problems.

Watching porn can become a very hard habit to break, and as psychologist Becky Spellman explains, having an erection is associated with watching porn, making it impossible to get it naturally. "Obviously, this is going to be a disastrous situation for any man in a relationship or single," she says.

How common is porn-induced erectile dysfunction?

A recent study by the online service ZAVA found that 35 percent of men have ED, 28 percent of them between the ages of 20 and 29. Among those who have experienced symptoms of impotence, one in ten admitted that porn was probably the cause.

Another study suggests that about 40% of men under the age of 40 may experience impotence associated with pornography. The number of men experiencing Erectile dysfunction has skyrocketed over the past 10 years, and the main cause in young people is considered to be porn, not health problems at all.

Causes of PIED Dopamine Hypothesis

Dopamine is a hormone and neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.

Cher explains: "When we watch porn, it causes a burst of dopamine activity, especially when combined with masturbation. Eventually the brain becomes saturated with dopamine. In order to continue to get the same satisfaction, higher and higher levels are needed visual stimulation. And as a result, young people tend to watch more and more hardcore porn in order to achieve the same level of satisfaction.

The way the brain responds to porn is very similar to how it responds to a drug. Studies have shown that some men become addicted to pornography and are only able to orgasm by masturbating while watching porn, explains Dr. Aisha Butt, FromMars medical director.

They fail to repeat the same with their partner and see their libido decrease, then they begin to experience erectile dysfunction in normal life. The brain adapts to instant gratification during porn viewing, masturbation and ejaculation, as opposed to the delay and delayed "reward" of sexual intercourse with a palpable partner.

Dr. Earim Chaudry in the Journal of the American Medical Association of Psychiatry reports that men who overindulge in porn have a harder time getting turned on during actual sex.

The main reason for this is the higher erotic stimulus compared to a normal intimate encounter, explains Chaudry. This essentially devalues sexual interest in real life and is a form of erectile dysfunction that has a psychological cause.

Physical and mental health problems caused by PIED

In addition to difficulty getting and maintaining an erection, experts believe that PIED can have many other negative effects on a man's physical and mental health. For example, lead to low self-esteem and disgust for your own body.

According to Simran Deo, an internet doctor at Zava UK, pornography can also perpetuate misconceptions about sexual relationships in the mind. This leads "to a decrease in self-esteem in men, which again can affect erections in the presence of a partner."