If You Have Erectile Dysfunction Can You Still Get Hard?

While most young men may assume that erectile dysfunction is a condition where erections are impossible, reality is a bit more complicated.

The good news for many men is that, no, erectile dysfunction does not always mean that you’re unable to perform. The bad news is that, if you regularly struggle to perform, you may have ED — even if you can occasionally become fully erect.

Below we’ve explained how, why, and when guys with ED may still have full erections, and what it means for your sexual health. We’ve also shared what you can do if you’re starting to see patterns in your performance that you don’t like.

While there are some circumstances in which a man may lose his ability to become “hard” entirely, an erectile dysfunction diagnosis does not require that a man’s erectile function ceases entirely. Many men with ED still have normal erections from time to time — even without medication.

Wondering if you have ED? For many men, the gray area can be difficult to navigate, so here’s a simple breakdown of what is and isn’t ED:

• Erectile dysfunction is defined as a pattern of problems getting or maintaining an erection — a pattern which causes distress for you and/or the people in your sex life.

• One bad night is not a pattern. Men sometimes mistake a single “failure to launch” as a sign of ED, but a night of heavy drinking or a day of heavy stress can occasionally make it hard to perform. That’s not erectile dysfunction — at least not yet.

• Men with ED can still get hard sometimes. While there are causes of ED that make it impossible to become erect, many people with erectile dysfunction can perform, sometimes. Most of the time, however, they cannot do so reliably.

While erectile dysfunction symptoms are mostly the same regardless of cause, some causes of ED may make it more or less likely that you can still occasionally have erections.

Erectile dysfunction causes can be psychological, physical, hormonal, or due to things like medications that you’re taking, and depending on which cause(s) are affecting you, you may or may not be able to perform on some occasions.

Risk factors and potential causes of erectile dysfunction include:

• High cholesterol

• Low testosterone

• Prostate cancer

• Heart disease

• Kidney disease

• High blood pressure

• Medication side effects, like from antidepressants

• Multiple sclerosis

• Neurological issues like spinal cord injuries

• Sexual performance anxiety

• Depression

• Low self-esteem

Sometimes, ED can be conditional. For instance, many men dealing with psychological causes like performance anxiety may have trouble maintaining erections with a partner, but be able to masturbate normally when alone. Some medications may reduce your sex drive and your ability to perform, but function may return after you stop taking that medication.

Other causes of ED like those related to health problems may not go away so immediately — certainly not before the physical cause is addressed.

Unfortunately, some men who deal with neurological problems, nerve damage, or prostate cancer may lose their ability to function entirely.

The good news in all of this is that most causes of ED are treatable, and ED treatment often leads to improved sexual performance during sexual activity.

The treatment option that works best for you will depend on what health conditions and other issues you’re dealing with, which is why consulting with a professional is so important. They’ll be able to give you a physical exam and assess your medical history, identify likely causes like vascular health issues or medical conditions like Peyronie’s disease (a form of painful erection caused by scar tissue) that might be making sex unpleasant. They might also order blood tests to check your blood sugar.

Your testosterone levels can be adjusted with hormone therapy, and a healthcare professional can refer you to a mental health specialist or help you address lifestyle choices that could be affecting you, like a sedentary lifestyle or an imbalanced diet.

They may also discuss erectile dysfunction medications like tadalafil (generic for Cialis) Sildenafil (Generic for Viagra), Levitra (vardenafil), or Stendra (Avanafil). These PDE5 inhibitors increase blood flow to your penis to better support erectile function (our chewable ED meds Hard Mints are a convenient form for men on the go, if you’re interested).

For guys dealing with the worst ED causes, vacuum devices like penis pumps, penile implant surgery and other options are available.

Men’s health topics like ED can be difficult to discuss, and we recognize that feeling ashamed is a normal response. It is, however, not necessary. Tens of millions of men in the United States alone deal with sexual dysfunction.

If you think you might be dealing with it, the right thing to do is talk to a doctor, urologist, or other healthcare professional about your options.

Have an idea what’s causing it for you? Here’s what you can expect:

• Oral medications and lifestyle changes can help many men function well for sexual intercourse more regularly.

• Men struggling with sexual desire issues and psychological ED may benefit from hormone replacement and/or therapy.

• Surgical options are available for men who don’t respond to other treatments.

We offer treatments and additional educational content, depending on your needs, but if you think you’ve got a problem, now’s the time to quit reading and start reaching out.

Take the “still” out of your “still getting hard” concerns today.