Is porn giving me erectile dysfunction?

Is porn giving me erectile dysfunction? (Sex doubt of the day)

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Editorial Team, Last Updated: Apr 15, 2013 at 12:51 PM

Tags: Addiction, Dopamine, Erectile Dysfunction, Impotence, Porn addiction, Pornography, Psychotherapy, Sex addiction, Sexual dysfunction

Hi my name is John and I am a 25-year-old boy. Last week, when I tried for the first time to have sex with my girlfriend I had trouble penetrating. I have read about erectile dysfunction but I don’t understand how I could have it. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke and I exercise regularly and I don’t have any disease. Another thing is I have been watching porn for a long time – almost 10 years. Could it be due to that? Could masturbating to porn be causing my problem? Please help me.

The problem you’ve described could have much more to do than just porn. Most serious psychiatrists and sex experts have rejected the notion that people suffer from sex addiction or porn addiction or anything of that sort. It’s become fashionable for people to throw in big-sounding psychological words like dopamine addiction of the brain and blame porn for everything.  Also the term erectile dysfunction is starting to be used way too commonly in our society. ED is a problem that affects middle-aged men who lead very unhealthy lifestyles and not youngsters.

According to psychoanalyst Dr Paul Joannides,the author of The Guide to Getting It On – a highly regarded how-to book on sex that’s used in the United States, the chances that something called ‘porn addiction’ even exists is slim. He says, ‘What you experienced was more likely down to anxiety. Believe us, everyone feels nervous the first time and a lot of people have trouble maintaining an erection; even those who do find that they ejaculate too quickly. What you need to do is relax and tell your girl that your problems have nothing to do with her. Tell her she that she is very beautiful and you’ll take a little time to get into the groove. Also the way you masturbate could make a difference. If you masturbate facing down, stop doing that. Also cut down on the porn and use your fantasies to masturbate if you have to.’

What you have to understand is that coital sex is different from masturbation and it might take you some time to get used to it but it’s nothing to worry about. Also it could be down to other psychological issues. Why don’t you give porn and masturbation a rest for a while just to make sure that porn isn’t controlling you?

Sexual Health Physician & Medical Sex Therapist Dr Vijaysarathi Ramanathan   also has some tips:

If you masturbate while watching porn you could consider doing something called ‘Mindful Masturbation’. Instead of masturbating to porn whenever you want, take time to explore your sexual self by not being so focused on genitals. The thing is that masturbating and porn are both very pleasurable activities. As human beings we are driven by pleasures and it is not easy to forgo them. For those, make such pleasures as a reward instead of a routine. Tell yourself that if you achieve certain tasks in a day then you will watch porn for 15 min and masturbate.

Also it is not a bad idea to give masturbation some rest for a while, maybe a week. If you do so periodically, you can check yourself whether you control your behaviour or the behaviour controls you. The main sex organ of the body is your BRAIN. The genitals only respond to what the brain says whether it is watching, smelling or touching. If you think your addictive behaviour is causing sexual problems, it is important to see your sex specialist doctor and get professional help. You need to be helped by a doctor who can understand you and manage in a non-judgemental way using evidence. Hope this helps. Cheers.    www.vydox.com