{"id":15377,"date":"2016-07-12T18:49:22","date_gmt":"2016-07-12T10:49:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?p=15377"},"modified":"2026-03-14T05:45:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T04:45:26","slug":"erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Erectile Dysfunction: What to Do (and Not Do) if You\u2019re Experiencing It"},"content":{"rendered":"

The phrase \u2018erectile dysfunction\u2019 often conjures up imagery from pharmaceutical commercials, with smiling couples of 65+whistling as they grab the paper in the morning, yet while difficulties achieving or maintaining an erection<\/a> steadily increases after the age of 50, there are reports that it is affecting an increasing number of men in their 20s and 30s\u2015and is experienced by some nearly 30 million men in the United States.<\/p>\n

Like many aspects of sexual health, stigma and embarrassment can prevent people from being open about their condition or even talking to their doctor about it. Here, we look at what exactly ED is, and what to do if you think you might have it.<\/p>\n

What Erectile Dysfunction Is and What Can Cause It<\/h2>\n

Sometimes referred to as impotency, erectile dysfunction is the inability to become erect or to maintain an erection.<\/p>\n

There are myriad of reasons why it might happen to someone of any age, there are 2 basic categories of causes: physical and psychological. In terms of the occasional episode of ED (which is quite normal) it is usually due to psychological reasons such as nervousness or performance anxiety. Someone might also have trouble keeping themselves erect if they\u2019ve hard to much to drink \u2015 colloquially known as \u2018whisky dick\u2019 or \u2018brewer\u2019s droop\u2019.<\/p>\n

Consistent episodes of ED may also have psychological causes, such as stress or depression, but particularly as you age, erectile dysfunction may be a symptom of a more serious underlying health problem, such prostatitis<\/a>, diabetes, hypertension or other serious cardiovascular conditions. Again, while more commonly occurring as people age, ED is not<\/u> a normal part of aging.<\/p>\n

At any age, another factor that may contribute to difficulty getting hard is physical trauma, which \u2015 among certain masturbatory habits such as an \u2018iron grip\u2019 \u2015 can be caused by sports injuries or even by sexual injuries, which is why \u2018receiver on top\u2019 is considered one of the riskier sexual positions.<\/p>\n

What Not to Do About it<\/h2>\n

Do Not Attempt Penetration with a Non-Fully Erect Penis<\/h3>\n

While it might seem like a good idea to try having sex while at half-mast to get started, you risk \u2018breaking\u2019 your penis\u2015a real thing called Peyronie\u2019s Disease. It is caused by scar tissue within the penis that can cause it to bend permanently, which may also be accompanied by pain. (Penises do come in different shapes<\/a> and if your penis has always been curved and you’ve never experienced pain, you’re likely fine.)<\/p>\n

Do Not Try Self-Medicating<\/h3>\n

Perhaps you know a friend who is taking \u2018the little blue pill\u2019 and figure it\u2019s worth a try. It\u2019s important however, to talk to your doctor before trying any\u00a0 medication, as there are a lot of drug interferences and serious side effects to many common impotency medications. Additionally, while it may solve your immediate problem, it won\u2019t help with what might be a serious underlying issue.<\/p>\n

Do Not Lie to Your Partner<\/h3>\n

While we, as a society, tie a lot of our self-esteem to our sexual performance<\/a>, not talking to your partner is very likely to cause a larger rift between you. When you show a sudden change in behavior (any sudden change, but say, for example, not wanting to have sex as you did before) without an explanation, your partner is apt to imagine all sorts of worst-case scenarios, from an affair to a lack of attraction. It\u2019s best to be honest as you would any other medical or sexual topic, and work on finding a way to work through it together, both in supporting each other if medical intervention is necessary, and finding other ways to be intimate with each other.<\/p>\n

What To Do About It<\/h2>\n

Exercise More<\/h3>\n

Cardiovascular health has been tied strongly to erectile dysfunction, with a Mayo Clinic study<\/a> showing that \u201cin men diagnosed with ED before the age of 55 are at a greater risk for experiencing a cardiovascular event within the next 2 to 5 years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smoke and Drink Less<\/h3>\n

Those who smoke are about twice as likely to develop erectile difficulties than non-smokers (and anecdotally, many that smoke something other than tobacco often also experience more instances of ED). There is also a reported higher incidence of long-term impotency with those who are dependent on alcohol, though the exact link is not clear.<\/p>\n

Talk To Your Doctor<\/h3>\n

As explained above, there are many, many reasons why you might be having trouble getting an erection, and it\u2019s important to seek medical attention if it\u2019s affecting your sex life \u2015 no matter how embarrassing it might seem \u2015 not only to try and seek a solution, but also to head off any other more serious health issues that might be brewing.<\/p>\n

You can learn more about erectile dysfunction here.<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

Enjoy 15% off LELO.com<\/a> with code VOLONTE15<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The phrase \u2018erectile dysfunction\u2019 often conjures up imagery from pharmaceutical commercials, with smiling couples of 65+whistling as they grab the paper in the morning, yet while difficulties achieving or maintaining an erection steadily increases after the age of 50, there are reports that it is affecting an increasing number of men in their 20s and 30s\u2015and is experienced by some nearly 30 million men in the United States. Like many aspects of sexual health, stigma and embarrassment can prevent people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":15380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[137,149,665],"coauthors":[950],"class_list":["post-15377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sexual-health","tag-health","tag-men","tag-penis"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCauses of Erectile Dysfunction and What to do if You Can't Get Hard<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While it\u2019s normal to experience ED occasionally, consistent issues could be a sign of something serious\u2015here\u2019s what to do.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Erectile Dysfunction: What to Do (and Not Do) if You\u2019re Experiencing It\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While it\u2019s normal to experience ED occasionally, consistent issues could be a sign of something serious\u2015here\u2019s what to do.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Volont\u00e9\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/LELO.Official\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-12T10:49:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-14T04:45:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Erectile-Dysfunction-What-to-Do-And-Not-Do-if-You\u2019re-Experiencing-It.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"330\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katy Thorn\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Lelo_Official\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Lelo_Official\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Katy Thorn\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/\",\"name\":\"Causes of Erectile Dysfunction and What to do if You Can't Get Hard\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Erectile-Dysfunction-What-to-Do-And-Not-Do-if-You\u2019re-Experiencing-It.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-12T10:49:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-14T04:45:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/68fd3f91f3030cf2e5f30b74d1b3026d\"},\"description\":\"While it\u2019s normal to experience ED occasionally, consistent issues could be a sign of something serious\u2015here\u2019s what to do.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/erectile-dysfunction-what-to-do-and-not-do-if-youre-experiencing-it\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Erectile-Dysfunction-What-to-Do-And-Not-Do-if-You\u2019re-Experiencing-It.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Erectile-Dysfunction-What-to-Do-And-Not-Do-if-You\u2019re-Experiencing-It.jpg\",\"width\":660,\"height\":330,\"caption\":\"Erectile Dysfunction - 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