Do I Have Erectile Dysfunction?

DO I HAVE ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION?
March 1, 2010

It's a shame, but millions of men simply accept their erectile dysfunction (ED) instead of talking about it and seeking solutions. According to the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS), a community-based survey of men aged 40-70 years, 52% of the respondents reported some degree of erectile difficulty. Extrapolating the 2004 MMAS data to the American population, an estimated 18-30 million men are affected by ED.

So how do you know if you have ED? The definition that is generally accepted is this: if a man cannot achieve or maintain an erection sufficient to complete sexual intercourse 50 percent of the time or more, he is likely to have ED and should seek treatment. Also, the "50 percent" rule should not be followed strictly, because a man and his partner should both be satisfied with their sexual relation-

ship. So if erection problems are a concern or hindrance, then a man should also seek medical advice for ED.

There are many options when it comes to treating ED. The most important thing is to first speak with your doctor. ED is something that should be taken very seriously because it is often associated with other medical conditions or diseases. In fact, vascular diseases account for nearly half of all cases of ED in men older than 50 years.

When you speak with your physician, he will evaluate your specific situation. He may even quiz you with a version of the widely accepted five-question tool that can help determine if you have ED, and how severe the condition may be. See below to take the quiz yourself!

You should answer the following five questions on a scale of 1 to 5 (with five being the best) as they relate to you in the past six months:

How do you rate your confidence that you could achieve and maintain an erection?
When you had erections with sexual stimulation, how often were your erections hard enough for penetration?
During sexual intercourse, how often were you able to maintain your erection after you had penetrated your partner?
During sexual intercourse, how difficult was it to maintain your erection to the completion of intercourse?
When you attempted sexual intercourse, how often was it satisfactory for you?

A score of 25 is typically achieved by a completely healthy man, while scores of 11 or less indicate moderate-to-severe ED. If you ranked poorly on the quiz, you should consider seeking treatment for ED. Speak with your doctor, who may recommend a treatment plan. Often times, treatment may include a prescription for one of the three FDA-approved medications for ED. You can compare Viagra, Cialis and Levitra with this helpful chart.

If your physician suggests these medications, you can order Viagra online safely and securely through a trusted internet pharmacy that has been in business for more than a decade. AccessRx.com works with U.S.-licensed physicians who will consider your online prescription request after you fill out an online questionnaire.

If you place an order with AccessRx from the convenience of your home, your order is completely confidential and the products are shipped right to your door in discrete packaging - which makes confronting the issue of ED a lot easier.

If you think you have ED, the most important thing is to do something about it. You simply do not have to let the ill effects of ED affect your relationship or well-being. There are many treatments available that are proven to work, so just take it upon yourself to seek out a solution!

Midlifebachelor.com officially endorses accessrx.com. You can be certain accessrx.com is completely genuine, and not spammers.

There is also a pretty good extended writeup on ED here on midlifebachelor.com, which you may find useful:

Erectile Dysfunction - Suddenly the Man You Once Were is Not the Man You Are Now

under the midlifebachelor.com section entitled, Midlife Health Challenges