Regular Sexual Intercourse Prevents Erectile Dysfunction

Having regular sexual intercourse may help prevent the development of erectile dysfunction (ED) and impotence. New research published in the July 2008 issue of The American Journal of Medicine reports that scientists have found that men who had intercourse more often were less likely to develop erectile dysfunction and impotence.

The study was conducted over a course of five years with 989 Finish men aged 55 to 75 years. The assessment was based on the 5-item version of the validated International Index of Erectile Function. Men with erectile dysfunction at entry were excluded from the analysis. Researchers found that men who had intercourse less than once per week at baseline had twice the incidence of erectile dysfunction versus those who had intercourse at least once per week. The researchers concluded that the risk of impotence and ED was inversely related to the frequency of intercourse.

Mitigating factors such as age, chronic medical conditions (diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease and depression), body mass index and smoking were included in the analysis of the data.

Men who had sexual intercourse less than once per week had an incidence of erectile dysfunction of 79 cases per 1000. Men who had intercourse once per week hand an incidence of 32 cases per 1000 and the rate dropped to 16 per 1000 for men who had sexual intercourse 3 or more times per week.

The researchers concluded that, “Regular intercourse protects against the development of erectile dysfunction among men aged 55 to 75 years. This may have an impact on general health and quality of life; therefore, doctors should support patients’ sexual activity.”

Reference: “Regular Intercourse Protects Against Erectile Dysfunction: Tampere Aging Male Urologic Study” by Juha Koskimäki, MD, PhD, Rahman Shiri, MD, PhD, Teuvo Tammela, MD, PhD, Jukka Häkkinen, MD, PhD, Matti Hakama, ScD, and Anssi Auvinen, MD, PhD. It appears in The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 121, Issue 7 (July 2008).

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