I believe a good 50% of men in the 40+ age bracket have some sort of ED.

[Doesitworkornot]

And I think this is a shocking statistic. What's going on with men's health? I'm not in a long term relationship at the moment but I am dating. Men seem to fall into two distinct groups at this age bracket, those relatively fit that can shag all night long (maybe viagara) & those that just can't keep a good firm erection. I'm quite shocked. Aside from the men I've dated, many of my friends complain to me that their dh's are incapable too. Is this just part of the natural progression of life or is our modern lifestyle to blame? -Booze/fags/weight/exercise?

What do you mean "I believe" though? Is this a guess or have you looked up figures?

My DH is 45 and has no problems but he doesn't drink or smoke and he's very fit. I expect you're probably guessing rightish if we assume 50% of men in this agegroup are overweight and/or drink and smoke.

I have read that men's sperm count is decreasing as well, so there is a potential devastating problem looming here.
Men do not seem to have the same forums that we have for discussions of concerns and interest that affect them, this has been a long term concern for me that I have mentioned on mumsnet before.
For example we have mumsnet, women's hour on the radio, and literally dozens of magazines and supplements.
Men do not have this, so the problem you have mentioned is not openly discussed, I think they should have equility with women for a public forum.

Vicky men have massively popular forums actually. Reddit is VASTLY more popular than MN with more than five hundred million users...Mumsnet has six hundred thousand users. Reddit is mainly used by men...it's choc full of supportive and informative subreddits where men of all ages discuss things openly....even issues like male rape are openly talked about.

There are others too.

And pistonheads which is the MN for men,

The health topic is quite busy on there too

I'd imagine that a similar amount of women of the same age are suffering some sort of diminished libido - if only they could find each other.

(Tongue in cheek)

ED is not something ever talked about openly (face to face) between men from my experience.

I believe men go through some sort of male menopause (no evidence) and also are likely to have some sort of PMT once a month (no evidence) As for ED, unhealthy habits are more likely to contribute to ED. Smoking, alcohol, diet, lack of exercise and of course the MH issues surrounding day to day living in a modern world.

Like Vicky I have read sperm counts are down, by 50% compared to 50 years ago, apparently one in five men in Denmark can't be fathers. i think cause was mostly due to chemicals.

a high % of women get vaginal dryness as they get older. Flip side of the same coin -age but admittedly easier to treat.!
As often as not its an age thing.
Somethimes it will be health and some times porn addiction and other times simply boredom.

Fat in men produces estrogen, especially fat around the waist.
Higher levels of estrogen causes muscle loss and increased fat levels so creates a negative feedback loop. The effects of estrogen on men are fatigue, E.D. Low libido. I bet 30-40% of men in their 40’s are a couple of stone overweight so there’s your answer I recon.

Completely agree there is something going on with men and their erections.

I’m single and enjoy one night stands , friends with benefits etc and if is extremely common for men to not be able to maintain an erection.

I think it’s a combination of porn addiction, recreational drugs and getting older

So much projection on this thread!

Despite what some of you think men don’t all live in silos when it comes to discussing emotional or physical issues with trusted friends.

Or it could be women's expectations are to high. Men of a certain age might need to get a 2nd wind. Is it really expected of a man in his middle age and upwards to perform like he did in his 20's?

And I am dubious about the generalisations that are being portrayed.

A quick estimate of the male population over 40 world wide would be something like 1.5 - 2.0 billion and 50% of them all have ED?

There was a study recently in the news about the quality of sperm in fish. It had discovered a huge drop over the last 25 years and was attributed to chemical pollution.

Fish don't watch porn and are not using recreational drugs.

"Fish don't watch porn and are not using recreational drugs."

They are probably fat, lazy, smoking, drinkers, inconsiderate and having an emotional affair with the jellyfish from accounts while leaving the 'fishwork' (making a nest and cleaning up algae) and 'mental load' (remembering dental appointments for 4000 fry) to their wives.

I’d primarily put this down to men not looking after their health, specifically allowing themselves to get fat. You just have to look around a group of 40 somethings to see that at least half of them are overweight or obese.

Porn addiction does exist, but as with most things, enjoying a bit of porn in moderation isn’t going to affect your libido.

I thought the ease with which men can buy ED medication online with no need to even talk to their GP would make this less of a problem?

Mmm - I guess age (you’re not going to be as virile as in your twenties!!) plus smoking/drinking may have an impact - but not to the extent that erections are lost entirely.

Whenever I’ve suffered it (three times in my life) they were all related to the psychological circumstances- eg women who asked me home, proceeded to cry about her entire life and then wanted sex, and much as I thought I wanted to my body was saying I shouldn’t! Other time was a FWB that just felt inbalanced - and final time was with someone who was going to be sooo wrong for me. So - context is everything!

I think some men also lose their mojo during the young children years just like we do. If you are not using it you lose it!