If you’ve been around PEGym for years, this topic isn’t new. We’ve written numerous articles, and our forum has several threads, discussing the dangers of pornography. It’s nice to see medical professionals confirming what we’ve known for so long!
A panel discussion and presentation held on May 12, 2017 at the 112th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Urological Association highlights results from surveys conducted on men and women about pornography viewing habits and the long-term effects on sexual health and intimate behavior.
The researchers, led by Dr. Matthew Christman, a staff urologist and program director for pediatric urology at the Naval Medical Center of San Diego, reported the following:
- Although pornography trivially affects women’s sex lives, an excessive habit can be ruinous to men’s psychosexual health.
. - Men who are really into internet porn have the potential to become disinterested in sex with a real-life partner.
. - The researchers suggested the more time men spend on porn sites, the less able they’ll be to connect with a partner in the bedroom.
. - This disconnect can lead to severely damaging the man’s romantic relationships and make intimacy challenging, at best.
The panel discussed a survey of 312 male patients (mostly white, married and heterosexual), the researchers found a close correlation between excessive pornography use and sexual dysfunction. Roughly 20 percent of men reported using porn three to five times weekly. Nearly 4 percent of men reported they preferred masturbating to pornography over having sexual intercourse with a partner. The researchers also recognized a correlation between men who used pornography frequently and those who reported lack of sexual desire and intercourse satisfaction, as well as erectile dysfunction.
So, the moral of the story? Excessive porn use is bad. If you find yourself turning to porn instead of having sex with your partner, or needing porn to get or maintain an erection, you may want to think about giving it up… for your sexual health and the health of your relationship with your partner.
I don’t want to say “Told you so”… but…. 😉