More than one in three men (38%) admit to having experienced erectile dysfunction in the last 12 months. Young French people are particularly affected by this problem.
Six in ten men (61%) have experienced an erection problem at least once in their lifetime, according to a new national survey from theFIFGin partnership with the new healthcare platform Charles.co. A proportion that has continued to rise over the past fifteen years, if we rely on the much lower level of prevalence measured among the French in 2005 (44%).
More than one in three men (38%) also admit to having experienced at least one form of desire or erectile dysfunction in the past 12 months. The most frequently reported problem is the lack of firmness of the penis during intercourse (20%).
The impact of screen addiction
Among the heavy variables affecting this type of disorder, we find age, stress or, more surprisingly, place of residence: men living in the Paris area are much more prone to it (46%) than rural people (36% ).
The impact of screen addiction also plays a major role in male libido. Among those under 35, the proportion of victims of desire or erection disorders is thus clearly higher than the average (33%) among men who watch pornographic videos daily (55%), their social networks ( 39%), information apps (41%) or films and series such as services such as Netflix (38%).
These erectile disorders generate in men complexes related to the erection (62%), the size (42%) or the shape (27%) of their phallus. Indeed, 56% of men – and up to 64% of those under 30 – believe that “sex must involve penetration to be fully satisfying”.
Taboo
As with many medical problems, the propensity of men to verbalize erection concerns remains low. One in three men (33%) admit having already given their spouse a false excuse to hide a sexual problem, physical fatigue being the most advanced argument (78%).
Barely a quarter of men (26%) with erectile dysfunction have already consulted a health professional about it, a rate very similar to that observed 25 years ago in France (Sofres – 1994 ). And few of them have consulted a specialist: 19% have seen a general practitioner, 9% a urologist, 5% a sexologist and 2% a shrink. One in four men (24%) who have experienced erectile dysfunction without taking medication explain it by the embarrassment of discussing these problems with their doctor.
Use of hard drugs and alcohol
To cope with this difficulty, the majority of men resort to porn or fantasies rather than drugs: only 21% of French people aged 18 and over have taken erection-enhancing drugs.
However, young men under 30 are distinguished from their elders by a greater use of psychoactive products such as Viagra (25%), but also much more dangerous products such as a large quantity of alcohol (29 %), hard drugs like cocaine (27%) or natural aphrodisiacs (20%).
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