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Tampere, Finland. Delivering what may prove to be a decided mixed blessing to post-op women (and others) everywhere, researchers have shown that having intercourse more often may help prevent the development of erectile dysfunction (ED). The findings of a new baseline study were published in The American Journal of Medicine.
The investigator analyzed data from a five-year study of 989 men aged 55 to 75 in Pirkanmaa, Finland.
The study reports that
Researchers have found that men who had intercourse more often were less likely to develop ED.
Further, the risk of erectile dysfunction was inversely related to the frequency of intercourse.
Once the researchers had a dependable baseline for data cutoff, they they observed that men reporting intercourse less than once per week had twice the incidence of erectile dysfunction compared with those reporting intercourse once per week.
The data analysis included other factors that may affect the incidence of ED, such as:
age,
chronic medical conditions (diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease and depression),
body mass index and
smoking.
Erectile dysfunction incidence was:
79 cases per 1000 in men who had reported sexual intercourse less than once per week,
32 cases per 1000 in men reporting intercourse once per week, and
16 per 1000 in those reporting intercourse 3 or more times per week.
In addition, the frequency of morning erections predicted the development of complete erectile dysfunction:
There was an approximate 2.5-fold risk among those with less than 1 morning erection per week when compared with 2 to 3 morning erections per week.
International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5 Scoring System)
Score
Over the past six months:
1
2
3
4
5
How do you rate your confidence that you could get and keep an erection?
Very low
Low
Moderate
High
Very high
When you had erections with sexual stimulation, how often were your erections hard enough for penetration?
Almost never or never
Much less than half the time
About half the time
Much more than half the time
Almost always or always
During sexual intercourse, how often were you able to maintain your erection after you had penetrated (entered) your partner?
Almost never or never
Much less than half the time
About half the time
Much more than half the time
Almost always or always
During sexual intercourse how difficult was it to maintain your erection to the completion of intercourse?
Extremely difficult
Very difficult
Difficult
Slightly difficult
Not difficult
When you attempted sexual intercourse, how often was it satisfactory for you?
Almost never or never
Much less than half the time
About half the time
Much more than half the time
Almost always or always
The IIEF-5 score is the sum of questions 1 to 5. The lowest score is 5 and the highest score 25.
The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) originated as a way to evaluate drug trials of promising medications for erectile dysfunction. The initial IIEF had 15 questions and proved useful for clinical trials that required a high deree of data granularity.
Those 15 questions were examined for their usefulness as a simple patient-administered ED diagnostic.
Using information gathered in randomised trials, the criteria were consolidated and simplified, resulting in a five-question model (cf. sidebar).
Source: Development and evaluation of an abridged, 5-item version of the international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool for erectile dysfunction. RC Rosen et al. International Journal of Impotence Research 1999 11: 319-326. [ Download IIEF-5 PDF ]
Writing in the article, Juha Koskimäki, MD, PhD, Tampere University Hospital, Department of Urology (Tampere, Finland), states:
Regular intercourse has an important role in preserving erectile function among elderly men, whereas morning erection does not exert a similar effect. Continued sexual activity decreases the incidence of erectile dysfunction in direct proportion to coital frequency.
The study clearly indicates that regular intercourse protects men from the development of erectile dysfunction, which may, in turn, impact general health and quality of life.
The investigators advise clinicians to support the sexual activity of their patients.
Regular Intercourse Protects Against Erectile Dysfunction: Tampere Aging Male Urologic Study. Juha Koskimäki, Rahman Shiri, Teuvo Tammela, Jukka Häkkinen, Matti Hakama, and Anssi Auvinen. The American Journal of Medicine, 121(7) 592-596. ISSN: 0002-9343
Abstract
Background. Erectile dysfunction is common among men aged more than 60 years. Its cause involves both physiologic and psychosocial factors.
Methods. To evaluate the effects of coital frequency on subsequent risk of erectile dysfunction, data were analyzed from a population-based 5-year follow-up study that was conducted in Pirkanmaa, Finland, using postal questionnaires. Assessment was based on the 5-item version of the validated International Index of Erectile Function. Men with erectile dysfunction at entry were excluded from the analysis. The study sample consisted of 989 men aged 55 to 75 years (mean 59.2 years). The most common comorbidities were hypertension (32%), heart disease (12%), depression (7%), diabetes (4%,) and cerebrovascular disorder (4%).
Results. The overall incidence of moderate or complete erectile dysfunction was 32 cases per 1000 person-years (95% confidence interval [CI], 27-38). After adjustment for comorbidity and other major risk factors, men reporting intercourse less than once per week at baseline had twice the incidence of erectile dysfunction compared with those reporting intercourse once per week (79 vs 33/1000, incidence rate ratio 2.2, 95% CI, 1.3-3.8). The risk of erectile dysfunction was inversely related to the frequency of intercourse. No relationship between morning erections and incidence of moderate or severe erectile dysfunction was found.
Conclusion. Regular intercourse protects against the development of erectile dysfunction among men aged 55 to 75 years. This may have an impact on general health and quality of life; therefore, doctors should support patients' sexual activity.
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