Erectile dysfunction relates to health, self esteem: report

TAIPEI - The hardness of an erection is widely believed to be the key to ideal sex, yet many men suffer erectile dysfunction, recent research showed, adding that the occurrence of premature ejaculation is also related to ejaculation hardness.

According to the "Ideal Sex in Asia" research conducted by the Taiwanese Association of Andrology (TAA), polling 3,282 people from both genders, aged between 31 to 74 across ten countries in Asia, over 40 percent of Asian men yield a "3" or lower on the erection hardness scale (EHS), when an EHS 4 marks healthy and rigid erections.

The research indicated that the number of EHS 3 men who had experienced erectile dysfunction doubles that of EHS 4 men. Erection hardness and erectile dysfunction are highly related to men's self-esteem and their health, research showed, as the number of EHS 3 men reported to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and strokes doubles or triples that of EHS 4 men. Also, twice more EHS 4 men than EHS 3 men reveal to have confidence in their health conditions.

Men's satisfaction with erection hardness may be able to predict satisfaction with other aspects of life, Jiaan Ban-pin, head of the TAA, noted, adding that erection hardness also affects men's attitude in the definition of ideal sex.

In general, while EHS 3 men focus on their own feelings, emphasizing on the process of sexual intercourse as a means of reaching orgasm themselves, EHS 4 men believe that "communication and affection exchanges between partners" and "foreplay" are the key to ideal sex, which, according to Jiaan, is the correct attitude as sexual intercourse is an important means of interaction through which feelings could be communicated between partners.

A possible solution for erectile dysfunction is by taking oral medication, Jiaan offered, adding that psychological obstacles should also be conquered.