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Does porn cause erectile dysfunction?

This question deserves a careful answer rather than a confident one, because getting it wrong in either direction can lead somebody to ignore a genuine medical problem.

2 minute read Published

Short answer

The evidence is mixed and the question is not settled. Some studies report an association between heavy use and sexual difficulties; others find no such link. Erectile dysfunction has many well-established physical causes, some of them serious, so it should always be assessed by a doctor rather than self-diagnosed as porn-related.

Why this needs a doctor first

Erectile dysfunction is a recognised early indicator of cardiovascular disease, and it is also associated with diabetes, hormonal conditions, neurological conditions, and a long list of common medications including some antidepressants and blood-pressure drugs.

That is the most important thing on this page. Deciding on your own that the cause is porn, and treating it by changing your browsing habits, risks leaving a treatable and occasionally serious physical condition unexamined.

If you are experiencing erectile dysfunction, see a doctor. It can be an early sign of cardiovascular disease, and that is worth ruling out before anything else.

What the research actually shows

Some studies have reported associations between frequent use and reported sexual difficulties, particularly around arousal with a partner. Others, including several large surveys, have found no significant relationship, and some have found the opposite of what was expected.

A recurring problem is that these are largely self-reported, cross-sectional studies. They can show that two things occur together; they cannot establish which caused which, and anxiety about sexual performance is itself a well-documented cause of difficulty.

The anxiety loop

One thing that is well established: worrying about whether it will work is one of the more reliable ways to ensure it does not. A bad experience produces anxiety, the anxiety produces another bad experience, and the loop reinforces itself.

Reading confident material online claiming your brain is broken can feed that loop directly, which is one reason to be careful about where you get your information.

What a blocker can honestly offer

If your use is compulsive and you want it to stop, a blocker removes access at the moments you are least able to choose. That is a real thing and it is worth having.

What it cannot do is diagnose or treat a medical condition, and we are not going to imply otherwise. Anyone selling a blocker as a cure for ED is overselling their software.

This page is general information, not medical advice. Research in this area is still developing and individual experience varies a great deal. If this is affecting your health, your relationships or your work, talk to a doctor or a qualified therapist.

Sources

Where the claims on this page come from. We link to health services, professional bodies and published research rather than to other blocker vendors or to ourselves.

  1. Erection problems (erectile dysfunction) NHSCited for: The recognised physical and psychological causes of ED, and the advice to see a doctor.
  2. Erectile dysfunction: symptoms and causes Mayo ClinicCited for: That ED can be an early indicator of cardiovascular disease and warrants assessment.
  3. ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics: Compulsive sexual behaviour disorder (6C72) World Health OrganizationCited for: The clinical classification referred to on this page.
  4. Is Pornography Use Associated with Sexual Difficulties and Dysfunctions among Younger Heterosexual Men? The Journal of Sexual MedicineCited for: That across large samples of younger men in three countries, frequency of pornography use was not a significant risk factor for erectile difficulties. This is the study most often cited against the popular claim, and it is why this page says the evidence is mixed rather than settled either way.
Straight answers

Common questions

Is "porn-induced erectile dysfunction" a recognised diagnosis?
No. It is a term used widely online and in some research discussion, but it is not an established clinical diagnosis, and the underlying evidence is contested.
Will stopping fix it?
Some people report improvement, and that is worth something, but self-reports cannot separate the effect of stopping from reduced anxiety or other changes. It is not a substitute for finding out what is actually going on.
Should I stop anyway?
If your use is compulsive or is costing you something you care about, that is a perfectly good reason on its own. It just should not replace a medical assessment.
Keep reading

Related guides

GuidePorn addiction: what is actually established, and what is notThis is a genuinely contested area, and most of what is written about it online is far more confident than the evidence supports. Here is a more careful version.GuideHow to quit porn: what the tools can and cannot doSoftware cannot do this for you. What it can do is remove the decision from the moment you are least able to make it, which turns out to be most of the battle.GuideDoes porn affect dopamine? A careful answerThis is the most confidently over-explained topic in the entire category. The honest version is more useful and considerably less dramatic.
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