Porn, 'death grips', and the sharp rise in men with erectile dysfunction.

When Steve* first watched hardcore pornography, he was astounded by what he saw.

Growing up in the '60s, porn hadn't been anywhere near as readily available as it is today. So in recent years, Steve began to explore the sheer amount of graphic content on the internet. And it immediately hooked him. So much so that he soon found his real life sexual experiences were never as satisfying.

The touch of someone - even an intimate partner - couldn't compare to lying in bed and watching porn. But along with an ever-increasing appetite for porn, the themes also became more and more intense with each watch.

Now at the age of 62, Steve struggles to sustain a healthy sex life. Not because he finds it hard to establish relationships. Rather, it has everything to do with what he personally believes is 'porn-induced erectile dysfunction' - the challenge to get an erection without consuming some sort of violent porn.

Watch: Escaping porn addiction. Post continues below.

ED is something lots of men experience - the persistent inability to attain or maintain an erection. A recent study even showed that nearly one in six men between the ages of 20 and 29 can struggle with it. 

There are a bunch of reasons why men can experience ED to some degree - from physical issues like heart disease, cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity and excessive drinking to emotional links like anxiety, depression and stress.

Another factor often spoken about anecdotally is the 'death grip' - a masturbating technique with an overly firm or aggressive grip, believed to cause desensitisation of the penis. But as Dr Jonathan Fenton, a GP who specialises in men's sexual health at his Verve Clinic practice, told Mamamia: "The notion of 'death grip syndrome' derives from internet message boards rather than from any scientific basis. It falls under the umbrella of delayed ejaculation, for which there are many underlying causes." He explained that there are many other possible causes than just 'death grip', ranging from psychological problems to serious underlying physical conditions.

Studies have also consistently shown that the likelihood of experiencing ED increases with age. However, some data suggests that the number of people under 40 seeking medical advice for ED is increasing.

Is it because of the wide variety of free porn that is available at any time of the day with just the click of a button? 

So far, there has been minimal research into a potential link between excessive porn consumption and ED. But anecdotally, the stories are growing in numbers.

Lovehoney ambassador and male sex coach Cam Fraser has worked in this space for over nine years, helping hundreds of men dealing with erection issues. And a portion of them have suggested their porn use could be part of the problem.

"One of my clients was in his late 20s, in a relationship and masturbating while watching porn every day. He didn't have an issue getting or maintaining an erection when masturbating while watching porn. However, while he was able to get an erection with his partner, he often struggled to maintain one," Cam told Mamamia.

"His partner did not know about his porn watching and they rarely spoke about their sex life with each other. My first reframe for this client was to deal with the shame attached to it. Then we worked on reframing his relationship with porn - looking towards independent producers and more ethical websites, plus intentionally setting aside time each week to have his 'self-pleasure practice'."

Add in some new communication tools with his partner, and Cam's client relied less and less on porn. He was able to gain a reliable erection during sex with his partner and went on to have a thriving sex life. 

It's in cases like these, where Cam says a holistic approach is key to helping someone who self-reports problematic porn use and ED. Because shame is never going to help improve an individual's sex life or wellbeing.

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While anecdotally speaking, Cam said "there does seem to be a link between excessive porn use and ED" he said it's important to remember that "correlation does not imply causation".

According to Dr Jonathan Fenton, ED affects approximately 40 per cent of Australian men, with the prevalence increasing with age. But despite the rising impact, there continues to be a lot of men struggling in silence.

"Unfortunately, many men remain reluctant to discuss erection problems with their GP, due to stigma and embarrassment. Research has shown that fewer than half of men will seek treatment for the problem, and for those that do, they suffer for an average of one to three years before finally seeking help," Dr Jonathan explained to Mamamia.

Scientifically speaking, there isn't a direct link between porn use and ED - rather the association is based on anecdotal evidence from those in the health industry, and those personally who have experienced it. 

"The link remains hazy," Dr Jonathan told Mamamia.

"The interest in a possible link is thought to have begun following a 2015 study in Italy that suggested that excessive porn use led to men becoming incapable of achieving sexual gratification from real-life relationships. The study received a lot of publicity at the time, but subsequent research has been less conclusive. Other research suggests in those men that do suffer from 'porn-induced ED', the underlying problem may be related to a sense of guilt around using pornography, which then translates to 'performance anxiety' in the bedroom."

On Mamamia's No Filter podcast, Louise Perry argued that porn itself - consumed at any level of capacity - does harm. The British author recently wrote the widely discussed book, The Case Against the Sexual Revolution.

"Everything is set up to bombard you with hyper-real sexual stimuli… It's all about making the natural stimuli that you'd see in the wild, super exaggerated… stuff that you'd never actually see in a normal sexual encounter. But it's all about turning you on quickly," she said.

"I don't think that there is a good reason to watch porn."

But as sex coach Cam Fraser noted, porn isn't necessarily the enemy. It's how it's consumed that matters. 

This is because it's likely too simple to blanket all porn use as 'inherently addictive' or 'problematic'. Not everyone who watches pornography then forms a compulsive consumption habit. 

"Don't get me wrong, I don't think all porn is good, nor do I advocate for watching porn seven hours a day. Instead, I think it is important for men to establish a healthy relationship with the sexually explicit content they consume," Cam said. 

"If that looks like completely cutting it out of your life, that's great. If it looks like subscribing to your favourite ethical site, that's also great."

These days, Steve has come to the realisation that something needs to change. He is in the process of reassessing his relationship with porn which has been "life-changing". 

Now, his relationship with porn - although not completely 'healthy' - is far more balanced than it used to be. And his confidence in meeting new romantic partners has increased as well. 

As Dr Jonathan said: "Pornography, and easy access to it, is unlikely to go away, and having an open and non-judgemental discussion about it is key to supporting patients with any problems stemming from its use."

Perhaps the answer lies in the middle - the porn industry does have a lot to answer to, and for many men, their relationship with porn has in some ways impacted their life. 

But as for whether 'porn-induced erectile dysfunction' is a phenomenon in itself? We'll have to wait for the research to corroborate with real life.

For more from Cam Fraser, you can follow him on Instagram here. And for more from Dr Jonathan Fenton, you can visit his practice's website here, which specialises in a variety of treatments for ED.  

*Steve's identity is known to Mamamia, and he has chosen to keep his identity anonymous for privacy reasons.

Feature Image: Getty.