Erectile dysfunction definition

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. The definition is very subjective due to differences in desired or needed rigidity in patients of different ages and in different types of relationships. Patients may refer to their dysfunction as impotence, but the National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference recommends that the term erectile dysfunction replace the term impotence due to confusion with other forms of sexual dysfunction and the negative connotation associated with the term impotence.1 Patients may also develop libido or ejaculatory disorders, but these are not considered erectile dysfunction. 

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