What is Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile Dysfunction (ED for short, previously called impotence) is an extremely common men’s health condition. You may be surprised to know that ED effects about 50% of men over the age of 40! Unfortunately the numbers just go up from there. 60% of men in their 60’s and 70% of men in their 70’s will be effected. This is an important topic for men to understand so they know what they are up against and what they can do!

What is erectile dysfunction? The basic definition is this: the inability to get or keep an erection long enough for satisfactory sexual performance. This includes a range of different levels of function. 

In it’s early stages ED just means your erection isn’t as firm as you’d like it to be or it doesn’t last as long as you would prefer but you are still able to have sex. This is the best stage to seek erectile dysfunction treatment because if you don’t find a solution, it only gets more difficult the longer you wait. 

On the other end of the spectrum is the complete inability to have an erection. At this point there is no erection and there is no ability to have sex, although orgasm can still be possible from stimulation. 

The cause of erectile dysfunction can be vascular, neurologic, psychological or hormonal. Past the age of 40, vascular ED is the most common cause, meaning not enough blood is able to get to the penis for proper function.

There is a simple 5 part questionnaire that is commonly used to gauge severity of erectile dysfunction in men. It is called the International Index of Erectile Function or (IIEF-5) and it’s the same one that many doctors use to grade a person’s erectile function. This can help you understand how mild or severe your ED is without having and embarrassing conversation with the doctor. Below you will find the questions and ratings.

Over the past 6 months:

  1.  How do you rate your confidence that you could get and keep and erection? (1 very low)(2 low)(3moderate)(4 high)(5 very high)

  2. When you had erections with sexual stimulation, how often were your erections hard enough for penetration? (1 almost never/never)(2 a few times)(3 about half the time)(4 most times)(5 Almost always/always)

  3. During sexual intercourse, how often were you able to maintain your erection after you had penetrated your partner? (1 almost never/never)(2 a few times)(3 sometimes or about half the time)(4 Most times)(5 almost always or   always)

   4. During sexual intercourse, how difficult was it to maintain your erection to completion of intercourse? (1 Extremely difficult)(2 very difficult)(3 difficult)(4 slightly difficult)(5 not difficult)

   5.  When you attempted sexual intercourse, how often was it satisfactory for you? (1 almost never/never)(2 a few times)(3 sometimes or about half the time)(4 most times)(5 almost always or always)


If you score 22-25 on this test then congratulations! You don’t have ED! A score of 17-21 is mild ED. 12-16 means you have mild-moderate ED. A score of 8-11 is moderate ED and a score of 1-7 means severe ED. 

Now that you know where you stand it is important to understand that you have options including one very exciting new treatment called Acoustic Wave Therapy. Acoustic wave therapy has only been available for a short time in the United States but is quickly gaining popularity because it can completely reverse erectile dysfunction in a high percentage of men! It is the only erectile dysfunction treatment that makes this claim. It is the treatment of choice when is the problem is related to a lack of blood flow. 


If you interested in finding out if you are a good candidate for acoustic wave therapy, you can click here to schedule a free phone consultation or here to schedule a free in person consultation!