Is Porn Erectile Dysfunction Fact or Fiction?

5 Min Read

Contents

Can Porn Really Cause Erectile Dysfunction?
It Seems Like An Oxymoron – How Is It That Porn Can Cause ED?
Can Porn Erectile Dysfunction Be Reversed?
What To Take Away
What Other Readers Say (45+)

Porn is a pretty uncomfortable subject for nearly everyone to discuss. Something that typically accompanies porn viewing that can be even more embarrassing is masturbation. And now a new problem has surfaced around porn and masturbation in the form of porn erectile dysfunction.

But wait - isn't it just older guys who have erectile dysfunction?

Yes, that is usually true, although men of any age can have this problem.

Porn erectile dysfunction, however, is a new problem, different from regular ED, and it's affecting men of all ages – but particularly younger men.

Can Porn Really Cause Erectile Dysfunction?

The short answer is – yes.

Obviously, not being able to get an erection is a physical function problem. Several things can cause it, including,

Medications
Physical problems
Mental and emotional issues

The most common causes of erectile dysfunction are,

High blood pressure
Heart disease
Diabetes
Some prescription medications
Alcohol and drug use
Smoking
Depression
Stress and anxiety
Anger
Obesity
Body image issues
Low sex drive

As exhaustive as this list seems, one of the biggest contributors, especially for younger, healthy men, and the thing most unlikely to be listed on any description of the causes of erectile dysfunction, is porn.

Hold on – shouldn't watching porn help with getting an erection, not inhibit one?

Maybe, maybe not.

It Seems Like An Oxymoron – How Is It That Porn Can Cause ED?

For nearly all men, porn is associated with arousal. And yes, that’s largely the effect – until it isn’t.

Before the internet, access to porn was limited to videos and magazines, like Playboy and Penthouse. While some men had collections of these, most guys had limited access.

But the internet has made the availability of porn images and video clips nearly instantaneous and limitless.

This endless supply of visual sexual images has fed men's natural desire to both "hunt" and fantasize about sex. As a result, the pleasure of sexual fantasizing combined with an infinite supply of stimulating images has turned looking at porn into a game of seeking ever increasingly exciting images and fantasies for many, many men.

This is one of the big reasons why for some men watching porn becomes so habitual and consumes hours upon hours.

Here's what one woman told me:

My spouse is 35 years old. He has struggled with porn before it even hit the internet. Since he was 12. Boxes and boxes of magazines. Now in his phones... There are 14,000 photos. Yes. 14,000. That's an old phone. The new one has 5,000. And now there is a back up phone and I don't know how many there are. He admits it's an issue. Says when he feels it taking over."

As shocking as this may be, I've actually had men confess to me in counseling of having even more porn saved than this guy.

Like this husband, many men have no idea how big an issue their porn watching really is. After all, isn't it normal for men to want to look at a naked woman?

Yes, but an excessive amount of anything causes problems – even good things (however porn isn't a good thing).

And now an increasing number of men are reporting difficulties getting and keeping an erection when being intimate with their partners.

I know men who also have problems reaching orgasm when having sex with their wives or girlfriends. And some men can even lose interest in having sex at all with a real woman.

This flies in the face of many common assumptions.

Aren't men suppose the think about sex every 6 seconds?

Aren't they supposed to be so sex focused they'd have intercourse nearly any time?

What gives?

Can Porn Erectile Dysfunction Be Reversed?

Again, the short answer is – yes.

Sexual arousal releases the pleasure chemical dopamine in the brain. And too much dopamine can be a problem.

When viewing porn becomes habitual it can cause the nerves in the brain to become less sensitive and responsive to dopamine. This results in normal sexual intimacy (with a real woman) being insufficient to produce enough dopamine for erectile arousal.

The consequence of this change in the brain can be seen in the prior descriptions of men requiring more and more porn to get aroused and maintain an erection until orgasm.

This doesn’t have to be the permanent state of things, however. Eliminating porn will eventually lead to a return to a normalized dopamine response.

There are some clinicians who say that porn erectile dysfunction is a myth. But there are also a lot of people who believe porn is harmless too.

Neither of which I agree with.

The truth is that porn gives short-term pleasure, but along with that comes long-term problems.

Masturbating to porn repetitively over time raises the threshold necessary for sexual arousal, as well as orgasm.

As a result, sexual stimulus, whether real or digital, that used to immediately create excitement, no longer does, and so more and more, and newer and newer stimuli is required.

Once you understand this cycle, it’s not hard to see how normal sex with someone you've been with before would not arouse a porn user like it used too. One man I treated for porn addiction needed to masturbate and orgasm again right after having sex with his wife.

The good news, as I said earlier, is that porn erectile dysfunction is reversible.

Stop viewing porn and masturbating, and typically within 3 months the dopamine levels in your brain will return to normal levels.

However, quitting porn is much easier said than done. Despite good intentions, the addictive power of porn and its easy accessibility make it very difficult for most men to stop on their own without professional help.

There are a number of mom myths we all heard as kids. One of the most famous mom sayings has been, “Put on a jacket or you'll catch a cold." We now know that being cold does not give you a cold.

Another couple of myths routinely heard by sons everywhere involves the male anatomy,

If you keep playing with it, it will fall off someday."

And,

Masturbation will make you go blind."

Obviously, it's not going to fall off nor are you going to go blind, but it is a myth that looking at porn is harmless, and the truth is that porn erectile dysfunction can be one of the consequences.

What To Take Away

Let’s be clear about something. Masturbation is normal. No one wants to admit it, but everyone’s done it.

Porn is not.

Porn causes a decreased dopamine response that creates an increased need for more and more stimuli (porn) to get and maintain an erection. Hence porn erectile dysfunction.
Porn erectile dysfunction will interfere with normal sexual intimacy between a man and his partner.
Addiction to porn is real and fuels these problems.
Eliminating porn will reverse the effects porn has had on erectile response by allowing dopamine levels to normalize.
Getting past a porn addiction can require the help of a counselor who specializes in this area.

So, while watching porn and masturbating may not cause blindness or make it fall off, it can cause it to stop working properly. Meaning, yes – porn erectile dysfunction is a fact and a real problem for many men.

Editor's Note: This post was originally published Feb 25, 2015 and has been updated with new information for accuracy and comprehensiveness.