Can Watching Porn Cause Erectile Dysfunction? - Doctor Explains

You might have been struggling with erectile dysfunction and you can’t seem to figure out why. Than it is time to face the elephant in the room. Watching porn can lead to erectile dysfunction.
This may be a difficult topic to discuss, but it's important to understand the impact it can have on your sexual health.

This video is part of a videoseries on sex and urinal tract related medical problem. Find the playlists here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaG3Bo3L0gX6I4FYPkL6bJ1Xx7dRs697P

How does an erection happen?
This whole process starts with arousal, that is key. This arousal than triggers several local nerve cells in the penis, as well as in the brain. Leading to the release of multiple chemical messengers, like nitric oxide and cGMP. These cause the smooth muscles in your penis to relax. Opening the blood vessels. This allows blood to flow in, building up pressure and making the penis expand. Much like a balloon being inflated. This pressure than blocks the veins of the penis, preventing the blood from flowing out. And thus an erection is created.

The effects of porn:
First I must warn you. The available medical evidence is mixed and not of the best quality.
- Next up, in Italy there was conducted a survey of 28,000 Italian men in 2011. It found that watching porn regularly could lead to “sexual anorexia”. Meaning, those men could gradually become immune to explicit images.
According to this study, a tolerance for watching porn could be build up. Which could over time potentially contribute to a loss of libido, erectile dysfunction and the idea that sex is disconnected from real-life relationships.
- Furthermore, medical research suggests that watching porn can affect your sexual interests and appetite. Because there is a wide array of adult content available, this could unleash your true desires and fetishes.
- To make matters even worse. Your partner might feel rejected or not attractive. This is especially true if you don’t tell them what is really going on, out of embarrassment.
- In addition. One of the most common causes of erectile dysfunction comes from mental health problems, like stress and anxiety. And watching porn could aggravate those.
- Lastly, some experts also mention that compulsively watching porn, viewing several scenes at once or quickly switching between scenes could create an erotic stimulation which is not typical for normal, physical sex.

Now, this all some quite conclusive, but reality is more unruly. There are also several studies which did not find these negative effects of watching porn.
- Dr. Prause psychologist at UCLA, has done a study which found no relationship between the number of sex films men view and erectile functioning with their partner.
- In one case, this study even found a stronger sexual arousal in men who watched porn at home.
I wanted to mention these findings as well. Because the effects of porn are that clear cut yet. More medical research is necessary to provide conclusive evidence.

Useful tips:
- If you do think any of these aspects of pornography might be affecting your sexual functioning, than it could be helpful to avoid porn for at least 90 days.
- Discuss your sexual desires with your partner and you are always welcome to contact your personal doctor. He or she can help you with this problem and if necessary recommend treatment options like a sex therapist or rehab center.

- Disclaimer: this video and the comments are meant purely informational! This is not medical advice! If you are looking for medical advice always contact your own doctor. -

Literature:
1: Your Brain On Porn. (2011). Too Much Internet Porn May Cause Impotence. Urology professor Carlo Foresta.
2: Krans B. Brito J. (2020). Can Porn Induce Erectile Dysfunction? Healthline.
3: Levine B. (2020). Pornography Habit Is Linked to Erectile Dysfunction, Research Suggests. Everyday Health.

* The images in this video are used for educational purposes only. Most of the images and video material in this video come from https://www.canva.com/.

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