If you are a man struggling with erectile dysfunction (ED), or someone you care about is, know that it is more common than you may think.
“A staggering 322 million men globally could be affected in the near future,” states a review of ED studies published in October in BMC Public Health.
ED is the persistent inability to attain or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sex.
A widely cited study from 1994, based on the Massachusetts Male Ageing Study, suggests more than half of all men at some time in their lives experience some form of ED.
It also found that the prevalence of complete impotence triples from 5 to 15 per cent between the ages of 40 and 70.