Is the cause of my ED psychological or physical

[Forest67]

Hi,
I'm concerned about ED. I'm 51. I am fit but have hypertension that is controlled using 5 mg of bystolic daily. BP generally runs 120/77 but can be higher depending upon stress levels. My most recent physical showed healthy levels of cholesterol and blood sugars. I do however have anxiety issues.

Until last Thursday, June 28, I generally woke once or twice each night with strong erections. On Wednesday, June 27, I had sex with my wife that morning  and then masturbated later in the day. I woke up on Thursday with only weak morning erection. I wasn't too concerned but I noted it. (I have had a fear of ED since turning 50) Friday, I had weak morning erection and that night I had no real libido and when I tried to force the issue, I couldn't get an erection.

I woke up Saturday morning with a moderate erection and was able to achieve 80 or 90 percent hardness and ejaculate. I was still concerned about not being doing so the night before. Sunday morning I awoke with a moderate morning erection and masturbated to 70 or 80 percent without ejaculation.

Monday, there was no morning erection, but I was able to get to get myself fairly erect. Tuesday nothing. Wednesday, no morning erection but I could masturbate to about 70 percent. Thursday, no morning erection but I masturbated to about 70-80 and ejaculated. Each of these times the erection deflated fairly quickly once stimulation stopped.

Last night, Thursday night, I was able to masturbate to about 80 percent without ejaculation. However, it deflated quickly again. No morning erection today.

Throughout all of this, my libido has been subpar and my anxiety has been fairly high. As, I mentioned I have had a fear of ED. This came on so quickly, it has me very concerned. My question for you is, given what I am experiencing, do you think there is a physical cause of this or is it simply my anxiety about erectile dysfunction?

Thank you

[BonzoDog]

Hey, Forest67, for a guy of 51 it sounds like you ARE still engaging in quite a bit of sexual activity - that in itself is a positive sign. The fact this came on suddenly & you've admitted it's something that worries you quite a bit makes me think this may be more psychological than physical. I've never heard of actual physical ED developing virtually overnight. I myself have gone thru periods where for whatever reason, I just wasn't that interested in sex & erections didn't seem as strong, but looking back on it, it was almost always because I was going thru a very stressful period. Negative emotions & stress can mess up even a younger guy's performance. I think YardBull's suggestion to bring it up w/ your regular Dr at your next visit is a good one. Some BP meds DO have a tendency to affect erections negatively, but once again, it seems unlikely that would happen overnight. Still, prbly a good idea to get that checked out just in case.

As for you worries about developing ED, if you stay as active as you have been, I think you'll be OK. Stay in as good physical shape as you can (work out, be active) & that will go a long way to keeping your sexual energy strong. I think one of the biggest reasons older guys start losing it is they are out of shape, have health conditions, overweight, etc. & that begins to put a drag on your sexual functioning. I'm 67 & in good physical shape & see no signs of anything declining. Unfortunately, I have to have radical prostate cancer surgery Jul 31, praying they can spare both nerve sets & that I can regain most of my current good function. Stay positive & good luck to you...

[YardBull]

Try eliminating all masturbation and use of porn, if any, so that your sexual energy will build up, hopefully increasing your libido.  Don't let self-pleasure compete with intimacy with your wife.  If you haven't had a checkup within a year or so, it would be worthwhile having a visit with your doctor.  At that time, you can bring up both your ED concerns and your anxiety.  There are several medications for ongoing anxiety.