Can Healthy Men Experience Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most commonly occurring conditions for men; especially for men over the age of 40. However, in recent years, more young, healthy men have begun to experience ED. This begs the question – why?

To help you understand the reasons why healthy men may begin to experience erectile dysfunction, we’ve gathered some useful information on this page. It should help educate you on some of the reasons apart from health that men may start to have ED or ED symptoms.

Can men without health issues develop erectile dysfunction?

Yes, they can.

In fact, in Canada, 26% of men under 40 are living with erectile dysfunction. Even if a portion of these men have health conditions relating to their ED symptoms, this is a substantial portion of men in Canada living with this condition.

The problem remains that many men are still too ashamed to seek help for their ED symptoms, so they don’t treat their condition. Over time, this can lead to frustration, which may worsen the existing situation by adding stress and anxiety.

Common causes of ED in healthy men

Psychological issues are a known cause for ED issues in young, healthy men. One method for helping to determine if this could be the case for you is to consider: 

Can you get an erection while masturbating, or do you wake up with one in the morning, but you can’t get an erection with a partner?

If you answered yes, then the cause could be psychological, rather than physical.

For healthy males having erectile dysfunction, but only after doing certain habits (i.e., drinking, drugs, not sleeping well, etc.), then there’s a chance your ED could be related to your lifestyle.

Lifestyle factors that may contribute to ED

Some of the lifestyle factors that can cause ED in young, healthy men, due to the negative impact they have on your body. These lifestyle factors could include:

• Being overweight
• Smoking
• Alcohol consumption
• Recreational drug use
• Sleep issues
• Certain medications or treatments

Psychological & stress-related factors of ED

Common psychological issues that can cause ED in otherwise healthy men include:

• General or performance anxiety
• Stress
• Depression
• Body image
• Fear of ED recurrence
• Issues with your partner

All of these elements can impact your mood, your emotions, and your hormones, which in turn, can cause erectile dysfunction in some healthy males.

Signs & symptoms to watch for

If you’re still a healthy man, erectile dysfunction may start as symptoms that seem irritating, but don’t trigger an alarm bell in your mind.

Things like having more difficulty ejaculating, getting an erection but having trouble maintaining it long enough to complete sexual activities, or even a simple reduction in your libido can be signs that something is negatively affecting your sex drive.

If you’ve started to experience these types of ED symptoms, you should consider talking to a healthcare practitioner about how to manage them effectively, as well as what lifestyle changes you should consider making to support better sexual health. Just submit a short online assessment, if you’d like to get started today.

ED prevention tips for healthy men

For healthy, young men with ED, there are a few things you can do to help improve your own ability to fight off ED symptoms.

Start by evaluating your lifestyle habits. Do you eat healthy? Are you overweight? Do you exercise regularly? How are your sleep patterns? Are you drinking, smoking, or using drugs regularly?

Improving these elements will not only help improve your overall health and quality of life, but it will also reduce the chances of these factors causing ED.

Psychological factors may be more challenging to deal with, but just as important. If you know that you’re experiencing depression, anxiety, or high stress levels alongside ED symptoms, consider talking to a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT).

They will have the expertise necessary to help you find tools to manage those feelings, as well as give you direction on how to process those emotions in a healthier way, which may help reduce the impact of these issues on your body.

Is erectile dysfunction curable?

Yes, erectile dysfunction is curable. In many cases, erectile dysfunction is not permanent. This means that with the right type of treatments and lifestyle improvements, many healthy men are able to take back control of their sex drives.

The important thing to remember is that the best way to achieve this is to get assistance from a licensed healthcare practitioner. They’ll be able to help you find treatment solutions for the short-term, as well as help identify and improve other elements that could be the underlying cause of your ED symptoms.

So, to reiterate: YES. Erectile dysfunction is often curable. You may just need a little bit of help to get there, which is why Felix is here to help.

Treatment options & solutions

Apart from improving your lifestyle habits, and seeking mental health assistance to deal with any psychological issues that may be playing a role in your ED symptoms, there are a few other treatment options you could consider.

Most commonly, while addressing the underlying factors in healthy, young men with ED, your practitioner may suggest trying a prescription medication as well.

The type of medication they may suggest will depend on the patient, but the important thing to remember is these are meant to be temporary treatments in most cases. The only way to really cure ED is to get to the source of its cause and manage that; everything else will just act like a band-aid in the meantime.

When to talk to a healthcare practitioner about erectile dysfunction?

As long as you’ve over the age of 18, and you live in one of our serviceable provinces within Canada, Felix would be happy to provide you with a health assessment to review your overall health and longevity wellness.

If you’ve started to experience any symptoms of ED, then don’t wait to talk to a healthcare practitioner about it. The earlier you start to look into it, the sooner you may be able to find a solution. Or at least, an effective treatment plan.

Start by submitting a short online assessment, and one of our practitioners will get back to you (typically within 24 hours) to have a virtual ED consultation with you. This way, you can start taking back control of your sex life and your health, so you can get back to living life on your terms – the way it should be.