Porn is not the blame for erectile dysfunction, new research claims

Erectile dysfunction in men is caused by being in an unhappy relationship, a new study claims.

The findings, come after previous research suggested that men became disinterested in sex with their partners because they regularly watch porn, as their "sexual tolerance is higher", The Sun reported. However, Dr Nicole Prause, a sexual psychophysiologist and founder of Liberos LLC believes that the research presented at the American Urological Association (AUA) meeting didn't ask men questions about masturbation.

"Men use masturbation to compensate for lack of sexual satisfaction in relationships," Dr David Ley, a clinical psychologist specialising in sexual problems told The Sun. "As this sexual behaviour is often accompanied by viewing pornography, it can be easily misunderstood," he adds.

To disprove the research presented at the AUA meeting, a team in California led by Prause studied 335 men in relationships. They measured erectile function, masturbation to X-rated films and collected basic information, including age. The data showed 22% of men reported they preferred watching porn instead of having sex with their partner. While 28% chose masturbation instead of intercourse with their partner. Even more interesting, the study also found the men who chose masturbation were in unhappy relationships and even reported difficulty maintaining erections, the report revealed.

The findings, researchers say proves that erectile dysfunction cause men to watch porn, not the other way around as previously thought. "This supports exactly my concern, that men are not preferring sex films, per se, they are more likely avoiding their partner through masturbation, and they happen to watch sex films while they masturbate," Prause told The Sun.