Men's Sexual Health Assessment

It is difficult to generalize on sexual functioning based on age, and as aresult, age is not a determining factor in this assessment quiz. You shouldconsider the following statistics, however:

• By age 40, 5 percent of men are frequently unable to perform whencalled on, while one-third of men report occasional erectiledifficulties.
• Men 50 and over who experience "occasional" difficultiesnumber approximately 50 percent of this population. What's more, 10 to15 percent of 50-year-old men are completely impotent.
• Approximately 15 percent of men between 60 and 70 are completely impotent.
• Over half the male population over 70 is unable to performsexually. Then again, the Massachusetts Male Aging Study reported that40 percent of 70-year-olds polled were totally potent.
• Impotence is more likely to happen to men over age 80 nowdue to physiological reasons. In fact, erectile dysfunction oftenoccurs in men whose arteries are damaged from diabetes, high bloodpressure, coronary heart disease, plus heavy smoking and drinking.

Regular exercise is correlated with better health, including sexualhealth. Exercise promotes blood and oxygen flow throughout the body,including your penis. What's more, a study conducted at the CooperInstitute for Aerobics Research found a 40 percent lower mortality ratewhen people switched from never exercising to any type of minimalexercise. Aim for at least eight hours a week.

Walking is a simple program that is inexpensive and can be doneanywhere. If you have been sedentary for much of your adult life, checkwith your doctor before beginning an exercise program.

Erectile difficulties are more common in men who drink regularly. Ifyou consume more than eight drinks per week, your alcohol intake may beaffecting your sexual performance. If you are having insufficienterections, consult your doctor. For more moderate drinkers, the goodnews is some studies indicate that men who drink a few glasses of redwine per day and eat a healthy diet high in fiber and low in animal fatcut their risk of high cholesterol and coronary artery disease.

Remember that erectile problems are widely known to occur in older menwho smoke. Smoking can damage arteries all over the body, includingthose that move blood into the penis. With this compelling fact inmind, you now have the perfect reason to give up smoking: do it forbetter sex! Quitting may not only help you improve blood circulation inyour penis and elsewhere, but it may also put the fireworks back inyour sex life.

Mature men with high cholesterol levels are at increased risk forimpotence. Men with borderline healthy, moderately or dangerously highcholesterol levels should realize that going on a low-fat diet andexercising regularly are the first steps toward improving overallhealth and chances for better sexual functioning. If you don't knowwhat your cholesterol levels are, get thee to an internist ASAP.

After age 40, it is normal for erections to be qualitatively differentfrom those enjoyed in your 20s and 30s, although you can still get asmuch satisfaction from sex as you did when you were in your 20s.

According to Art Hister, M.D., writing in Midlife Man,(Greystone Books, 1998), "...during middle age, not only do many menbegin to suffer from occasional bouts of impotence but even a midlifeman who is always able...to get hard enough to do his duty tends tosuffer a bit of loss of upward mobility of his penis due to changes inthe blood vessels that are responsible for creating and maintaining anerection. ..."

So, don't worry, take action! You may benefit from seeing a urologist. You may also want to go to urologychannel.com to read more about your condition or to find a urologist specializing in male urology in your area.

If your erections take 30 minutes or more to develop, you may benefitfrom seeing a doctor at your earliest convenience. There are manypossible causes behind erections that take a while to reach completehardness. Along with cardiovascular disease, regular medications andpsychological factors, diverse metabolic, urologic, and neurologicalconditions may also cause impotence.

It's a fact that in middle age, erections often become less rigid, aswell as shorter-lived. Furthermore, writes Art Hister, M.D., author of Midlife Man,(Greystone Books, 1998), "Not only does it take most middle-aged guyslonger to achieve even a garden-variety, run-of-the-mill erection, butin contrast to when they were young, when a rock-hard erectionimmediately sprang up after even the vaguest erotic thought, in midlifesome men may require direct physical stimulation to get an erection, orthey may not hit full hardness until they are in place...erections tendto become less firm (much like other body parts of the middle-agedowner of those erections). ..."

To achieve optimum erections, first ensure that your general health isat its best. This means: doing regular exercise, following a balanced,low-fat diet; no smoking or heavy drinking, and maintaining healthycholesterol levels. Also, check with your doctor regarding whether themedications you are taking may be causing erectile difficulties. A goodWeb siteto check our for more info is urologychannel.com.

In Midlife Man, (Greystone Books, 1998), Art Hister, M.D.notes that any man who begins experiencing increasing bouts ofimpotence should see a doctor to determine what could be the potentialcause or causes. For instance, impotence can be a marker forcardiovascular disease that has yet to appear via other symptoms. TheWeb site urologychannel.com offersexcellent information and resources.

If you wish you were having sex more frequently, you may want to consider seeing your doctor for help regarding your sexual health. Or, you may want to consider going for joint counseling with your spouse or partner.

Masturbation can be a road to enhanced sexual functioning and sexual self-knowledge. Many people incorporate masturbation into their sex play with wives or partners. If you rarely masturbate, consider why and then consider how masturbation can be a totally valid form of sexual expression.

Consider: the average duration of intercourse among married American couples is five minutes or less, according to some studies. So, if it takes you longer to reach orgasm through intercourse or masturbation, then you are ahead of the curve. If you achieve orgasm in three minutes or less, you may be rushing things. Or, do you sometimes feel yourself climaxing too soon? If so, you may want to consider seeing a doctor to determine potential causes of this.

Literally dozens of medications can affect sexual functioning in men (and women, too, for that matter). If you are having problems, talk to your doctor and pharmacist as soon as possible about potential remedies for your situation.

If you feel your sex drive is low, it's possible that you may have low testosterone levels. See your doctor as soon as you can to get a blood test that measures testosterone. You may also want to ponder whether psychological causes are at work. The Massachusetts Male Aging Study found that low sex drive was sometimes connected to depression and repressed anger. Low-cost or even free counseling is often available at university psychology clinics, senior centers, and even theological seminaries that have psychology programs.

If you answered eye contact, lucky you! You are romantically gifted. Poets the world over have often observed that love comes in through the eyes. Many men also report that their sensuality is strongly tied to their mouths, lips and kissing. On the other hand, remember our skin is the largest organ in your body, so it stands to reason that being touched all over your skin is going to make you feel good all over.