What's YOUR risk of impotence? As our new calculator reveals, lifestyle can raise a man's chances of bedroom woes by 85%
- - Around 50% of men aged between 40 and 70 suffer with impotence and increasing
- numbers of men in their 20s and 30s are developing condition
- - Causes are diverse, but experts say poor lifestyle plays a major role
- - Now, MailOnline's exclusive calculator can help men identify their risk
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Smoking, age and high blood pressure are well-known causes of erectile dysfunction but now an impotence calculator designed exclusively for MailOnline shows the exact risk a man has of developing problems in the bedroom.
The results are startling. For example, according to our impotence calculator, if you are 50, smoke and have high blood pressure, your risk of developing ED is 14 per cent - double the average man's risk.
A 40-year-old man who does not smoke but has high blood pressure and heart disease will be at an 8 per cent risk of ED - which puts him at a 10 per cent greater risk than the average man.
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Both Jack Nicholson (left) and Michael Douglas (right) have admitted to taking Viagra. Poor lifestyle choices such as smoking and being overweight are thought to play the most major role in causing the condition
And a middle-aged man who suffers with type 2 diabetes, has heart disease, high blood pressure and smokes is almost eight times more likely to suffer sexual problems than a healthier man of the same age.
It is thought that 50 per cent of British men aged between 40 and 70 - around 12 million - suffer with erectile dysfunction (ED) at some point in their life.
The problem is becoming increasingly common in younger men too, with eight per cent of men in their 20s and 11 per cent of men in their 30s admitting to suffering with impotence.
In younger men, the cause of ED is often psychological, with anxiety or stress playing a key role.
The calculator was designed by online GP service DrEd.com.
Later this week, the manufacturer of Viagra is set to lose its exclusive right to make the drug.
Experts predict the price of the sex drug could drop by up to 90 per cent, taking the cost of a pill from £10 to £1.
Over 20 manufacturers have applied for a license to produce a generic version of the drug, whose chemical name is sildenafil.
The causes of ED are diverse but in older men lifestyle tends to play the most major role. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, being overweight, a lack of exercise and drinking alcohol have been found to be the main risk factors.
Low testosterone levels, nerve damage from diabetes and surgery for prostate cancer are also known causes.
But usually the man's inability to get an erection is due to reduced circulation in the area, which prevents the penis from filling with blood. In most cases the blood vessels have narrowed due to leading an unhealthy lifestyle.
An increasing number of young men are developing erectile dysfunction. It is thought that eight per cent of British men in their 20s and 11 per cent of men in their 30s have the condition
WHAT ARE THE OTHER OPTIONS IF I DON'T WANT TO TAKE VIAGRA?
Injections of the drug Caverject into the penis prevents blood from leaving after it flows into the penis, which creates an erection. Injections are useful for men suffering extreme nerve damage from diabetes or surgery. This is a prescription-only treatment.
Herbal remedies such as Golden Ginseng have weak clinical trials to show that they arouse sexual behaviour in mice.
Testosterone patches and gels such as Testim and Testogel applied to a large area such as the chest can be very effective but there is some evidence that it can rise the risk of prostate cancer.
Vacuum pumps and rubber rings to trap blood in the penis are good options for men who are unable to drugs or simply do not wish to take them. They can also be used in conjunction with medication.
Surgical treatment is a last resort. Two cylinders can be placed either side of the penis and these are connected to a pump in the scrotum. Squeezing the pump fills the cylinders with fluid kept in a reservoir in the abdomen.
Viagra was formulated by pharmaceutical company Pfizer and was launched in Britain in 1999.
Last year 2.3 million British men were prescribed the drug, costing the NHS £40.3million.
Indeed it is so commonly used that stars including Michael Douglas, Jack Nicholson and Hugh Heffner have openly admitted to taking it.
Viagra works by increasing blood flow around the body, including the penis.
But recent NHS cuts have made it difficult for men to get the medication, with only men suffering with diabetes, multiple sclerosis and prostate cancer now being offered it. Because of this a fifth of all prescriptions are now private.
With the drug going off-patent in a matter of days, Pfizer is trying to stop online pharmacies from selling imitation versions of their product up to 95 per cent cheaper and without customers requiring proof that they have been prescribed it.
A 2011 study, in which Pfizer bought ‘Viagra’ from 22 internet pharmacies and tested them, found that 77 per cent were counterfeit.
Pfizer has said it will launch its own cheaper brand, named sildenafil Pfizer, to avoid being outdone by competitors.
The company said men would still need a prescription to buy the diamond-shaped pill on viagra.com but would not need to see a pharmacist to get it.
Indeed many men remain too embarrassed to talk about ED and seek help for their problem.
Dr Sebastian Winckler, a GP at DrEd.com says: 'Many men feel too embarrassed to go to a doctor, but they shouldn't be.
'ED is a common issue. Try asking for a male doctor if that would make you more comfortable, or use a reputable online doctor service, where you can get treatment without seeing a doctor face-to-face.
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