Premature ejaculation (PE) and erectile dysfunction (ED) are 2 of the most common forms of sexual dysfunction.
While PE seems to affect men of all ages equally – at around 30% – ED tends to be more prevalent among older men [1][2]. However, ED incidence is rising among younger blokes, with some studies showing that it might affect up to 35% of the 18-40 demographic [3].
What’s more concerning is that many young Aussies are not getting – or seeking – the treatment they need. The likely reasons for this become clear when we start unpacking the healthcare access barriers that young people typically face. Let us explain.
Why are young men not seeking help for ED?
The 3 most common barriers young Australians face when seeking healthcare are those of a financial, geographical, and cultural nature.
The most obvious challenge is money. The economy is declining, the cost of living is rising (including the average out-of-pocket healthcare payments, which have doubled over the previous decade) and many young people end up sacrificing their own health for better financial security [5].
Another one is location: it’s clear that young Australians living in regional areas are limited in their ability to access quality care.
In the context of sexual dysfunction treatment, however, we consider cultural barriers to be just about the most significant, and definitely the least understood of the 3.
Recent research revealed that 18-34 year olds are more likely than older Australians to avoid seeing a GP in times of need (51% vs 42%), independent of what they’re struggling with [4]. Plus, 23% don’t have a regular GP, which is nearly double the rate observed in the general population and the highest among all age categories.
These statistics are a reflection of the different cultural preferences young Australians have, which stem from their unique life experience.
Whereas Australians over the age of 35 grew up in an analogue world, Millennials and Gen Zers are “digital natives” who were raised with technology. As a result, digital tools tend to be more integrated into their lives, to the point where they often prefer communicating virtually than in person across a variety of purposes – including healthcare [6][7][8][9].
What makes face-to-face care even less preferable for young people is when they have to share that they have a stigmatised condition – which, as much as we object to it, is the current reality for both ED and PE.
Such is the extent of the perceived stigma that men with ED or PE rarely feel comfortable talking about it with their partner or mates, let alone a doctor. Instead, they tend to bottle up their feelings of shame and guilt, which leads to anxiety.
And there’s good evidence that this pattern creates a vicious cycle between sexual dysfunction and mental health: struggling in the bedroom causes anxiety, which in turn impacts sexual confidence and performance [10][11].
For many young men, the outcome of this vicious cycle is that they “end up self-pleasuring with sexually explicit media or porn rather than asking the person (who they typically meet on a dating app) to meet up and risk the embarrassment” that can follow an episode of ED – entering a slippery slope towards porn addiction [12].
How telehealth can help
More than half of our patients are young men and there’s a simple reason for it. Our services help overcome the group’s most significant cultural barriers to quality care: face-to-face communication and the stigma associated with sexual dysfunction.
Seeking in-person treatment for chronic conditions is not only against the disposition of many young people but doing so for stigmatised conditions can arouse intense feelings of shame and anxiety. Talking to a healthcare practitioner online at any time and from any location, on the other hand, removes these barriers — and is exactly what we deliver at Pilot.
Pilot’s erectile dysfunction treatment includes everything men need to tackle their sexual performance issues, including judgement-free online consultations with unlimited, ongoing care; automatic treatment refills every 2 months; and discreet delivery Australia-wide.
If you’re experiencing ED, seeking professional support is essential to recovering your sexual and emotional well-being. But you don’t have to step foot inside the doctor's clinic. Simply complete our online consult and our Aussie practitioners will create a treatment plan that is right for you.
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