A study that was presented at European Association of Urology Congress, happening on a virtual platform until 26 July, found that 23% of men under the age of 35 who watched pornography frequently had problems with erectile function when attempting intercourse with a partner.
The authors also reported there was a significant link between time spent watching pornographic clips and erectile dysfunction during sexual engagement with a partner.
“We found that there was a big range of responses. In our sample, men watch quite a lot of porn, on average around 70 minutes per week, normally for between five and 15 minutes per time, with obviously some watching very little and some watching much, much more,” head researcher Professor Gunter de Win of the University of Antwerp and University Hospital Antwerp said.
Professor de Win also said that although it was not a clinical trial, but rather a questionnaire, the authors were pretty confident about the findings.
“We found that 90% of men fast-forward to watch the most arousing pornographic scenes. There’s no doubt that porn conditions the way we view sex; in our survey, only 65% of men felt that sex with a partner was more exciting than watching porn. In addition, 20% felt that they needed to watch more extreme porn to get the same level of arousal as previously. We believe that the erectile dysfunction problems associated with porn stem from this lack of arousal,” he explained.
The next step in this research, according to Professor de Win, is to identify which factors lead to erectile dysfunction, and to conduct research on the effects of porn on women.
The scientist suggested that medical professionals dealing with patients suffering from erectile dysfunction should inquire about the patients’ habits when it comes to watching pornography.