LOS ANGELES — After reporting an increase in customers under the age of 40, The Enhanced Male, an online distributor of pleasure and enhancement products for men, has announced plans to create an online support forum for men suffering from erectile dysfunction.
“For years, the men who bought ED devices and medications have been older,” said Daniel G, owner of The Enhanced Male. “But impotency is not just a problem for grey-haired older men in the 60s or 70s.Younger men are particularly embarrassed by the stigma associated with ED, which is why they don’t see their doctors and why our business is growing for men in their 20s and 30s."
Daniel's theory is somewhat corroborated by a 2004 Journal of Sexual Medicine survey which revealed that one in four men under 40 self-reported to have suffered from erectile dysfunction.
“Despite the growing problem, only a small percentage of men are aware of the prevalence of their condition and lower still are the number of men who consult a urologist,” said a rep.
The spike in patients experiencing ED has seen an increase in telemedicine companies that offer online prescriptions for Viagra and its lower-cost generic. However, men suffering from ED are still encouraged to consult a licensed physician as symptoms could be indicative of a larger health problem.
"For every young man I've examined who has complained about ED, there are probably three other men too embarrassed to see a doctor," said Dr. Steve Lovato, a San Francisco-based physician. "While mail order medicine and devices help in the short term, I'd like to see more men overcome the stigma and see a physician because ED may be a symptom of much more serious problems, including heart disease."
To help young sufferers of ED find medical help, Daniel plans to launch a support center on The Enhanced Male website to address the issue of stigma surrounding ED. “There are 50 million men in the U.S. suffering from ED and their numbers are growing,” said Daniel. “While we’d like to remove the taboo associated with ED and convince young men to visit a doctor, as long as they need anonymous help they can still find it online.”
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