Hard Luck: Why Male Impotence Is On The Rise

An increasing number of young, healthy men are struggling to achieve or maintain an erection. Gareth May reports on the causes, and speaks to couples about the impact on their relationships

- Gareth May

The first time it happened, I blamed ‘the drink’. It was late, we’d shared a bottle of rum, it was inevitable. The second time, I was distracted before an exam and my head was elsewhere. The third, tiredness. By the fourth, fifth and sixth times, I had become exhausted, feeling myself getting aroused only to have the flicker of hope snuffed out as my erection subsided and the condom rolled off again. I was 23 years old and not being hard felt like a failure.

I may be older now, and bolstered by the reassurance that my erectile dysfunction (ED) turned out to be a short-lived blip, but the problem is far from unusual for twenty somethings. For older men, the condition is typically related to atherosclerosis (clogged arteries), diabetes or high blood pressure. But up to a quarter of new ED patients are now under 40*, and a scroll through online health forums shows an increasing number of young men are seeking therapy for ED. Unless the cause is physiological nerve damage or deep psychological issues, the condition is usually temporary in younger men, but that doesn’t make it any less unnerving.