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<h1 id="page-title" class="title">More young men in S'pore seeking help for erectile dysfunction</h1>
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<div class="clear" id="pub_box"> <span id="pub_date">Tuesday, Dec 30, 2014</span><br>
<span id="pub_media">The New Paper</span><br> <span id="byline"><strong>By Judith Tan</strong></span> </div>
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<p>Mention erectile dysfunction or ED, and the assumption may be it is an affliction of older men only.</p><p>But doctors here say they are increasingly seeing younger men seeking treatment for the problem.</p><p>ED occurs when a man can no longer get or keep an erection firm enough to have sexual intercourse.</p><p>It is treatable.</p><p>Doctors prescribe sildenafil citrate to help maintain an erection. The two brand names for the drug are Viagra and Cialis.</p><p>Dr Peter Lim, a urologist in private practice, says that in the 1980s and 1990s, almost all ED patients were in their 40s to 60s. Now, about half of those he sees are in their 20s and 30s.</p><p>Dr Lim, who has been seeing ED patients for the past 30 years, says stress, including the pressures of work and of conception, is one of the major contributing factors.</p><p>"Diabetes, dietary habits, smoking and drinking, increase in weight and obesity are also prime factors," says the Adjunct Professor (Men's Health) with Western Australia's Edith Cowen University.</p><!--pagegallery--><p>Family physician Tan Kok Kuan has also seen this trend. He says he sees a lot of young men "who never had problems with ED until they decide to start a family".</p><p>Dr Tan says having sexual intercourse just to get a baby makes the entire process so mechanical and objective-oriented that problems arise.</p><p>"Think about it. The wife uses an ovulatory predictor from Day 10 of her period and every day from that day, the husband is waiting for the wife to say 'This is the day!'.</p><p>"Then he is expected to perform every night for the next three nights. The act of sex becomes more an act of making babies then an act of desire or love. It becomes more of a job than a pleasure."</p><p>But the rise in younger patients could be the result in a change of attitudes. Dr Colin Teo, who heads the urology department at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, found that more men, including younger ones, are more willing to talk about sexual issues.</p><p>A three-year local sex study conducted by Dr Teo and his team at the Society of Men Health's Singapore (SMHS) found that nine in 10 men would seek medical treatment for ED.</p><p>Called the Spontaneous Sex Study, its results were revealed last month.</p><p>Dr Teo estimates that the overall number of patients coming forward for help is 30 to 50 per cent more than 10 years ago.</p><p><strong>NO LONGER TABOO</strong></p><p>"Talking about the issue is no longer mythical or taboo among the younger crowd. They are educated and seem to understand the problem. If their friends sought help for ED, it's most likely they would too," he tells The New Paper on Sunday.</p><p>He adds that they are much more open to discussing with their doctor about their lack of prowess in bed.</p><p>"They say it's caused not only by stress at work, but also by their lifestyle, the coffee culture and wanting to have a family. They admit they have a problem and need help," he says.</p><p>SMHS has come up with an 80-page guideline booklet to advise medical professionals on the treatment of ED.</p><p>The booklet, to be published in January, will keep medical professionals updated on ED treatments available in the region. It is the first of its kind to be developed for family doctors in Singapore and Asia.</p><p>"Ten years ago, macho pride would have been in the way. We have certainly come a long way," Dr Teo says.</p><p><strong>Sex drug finally helps them to start family</strong></p><p>IT manager Christopher Lee, 42, and his wife had put off starting a family until about two years ago.</p><p>"We wanted to make sure we had the means to support a family first, so we threw ourselves headlong into our careers," he says.</p><p>As age was fast catching up, the couple, who had been married for about eight years, decided it was time "to make babies".</p><p>"I had just turned 40 and although she is younger - in her 30s - her fertility is also falling," he says.</p><p>By then, Mr Lee had been promoted and was given greater responsibilities at the office. He was also spending longer hours at work.</p><p>"All that and the stress of trying for a child took a toll on me. I found it difficult to get intimate with my wife. And when it came to the crunch, I could not maintain an erection," he recalls.</p><p>"What was to have been a beautiful intimate time with my wife became an ordeal. We were often frustrated and I felt I was constantly letting her down," Mr Lee adds.</p><p>This went on for "a couple of months" before the Lees decided to address the issue.</p><p>They did not want the option of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) "as it could get really expensive".</p><!--pagegallery--><p><strong>HELP</strong></p><p>"Seeing that I was the problem, I allayed her fears by taking it upon myself to seek help. So I went to see our family doctor, who referred me to a urologist," Mr Lee said.</p><p>He was put through a battery of tests and was told there was no problem with his fertility.</p><p>"I was happy when they told me I wasn't shooting blanks... I was merely not able to hold up the barrel," Mr Lee says, laughing.</p><p>He was prescribed Viagra.</p><p>"There was no immediate effect. It was only after the second month that things got better," he recalls.</p><p>And in the third month, his wife called to say they "needed to talk".</p><p>"She sounded serious and I was worried. Then I saw a series of pictures of pregnant women's baby bumps and babies that she had tagged me in on Facebook. Then I knew... We were having a baby," he says.</p><p>Their son is now 18 months old.</p><p>"I was over the moon when she gave birth. To think, when we were having issues, I never saw a way out."</p><p>"Who knew a little pill that had a whole lot of bad press was my way out," he adds.</p><p>Mr Lee is continuing with his use of sildenafil to "continue to have a normal sex life with my wife".</p><p>"I am also hoping for more children, perhaps a little girl next," he says.</p><p><strong>She thought hubby was having an affair</strong></p><p>At first she thought she wasn't pretty enough, having turned 30.</p><p>Then she suspected he had someone younger on the side.</p><p>"He was always too tired to get intimate and when he did, more often than not, he couldn't finish the job."</p><p>Madam Mary Tan, 32, who is part of an operations team at a manufacturing company, is talking about her husband, Mr Shaun Ang, 36. Mr Ang works in the same company.</p><p>The couple married in their early 20s, "but we decided to wait till I was 25 to have a baby", she says.</p><p>Working in operations meant that they had to work shifts, sometimes different ones.</p><p>"Shaun gets calls even when he's at home or on his days off," says Madam Tan.</p><p>And when they have "that little window for intimacy, it got increasingly difficult for him to stay hard".</p><p><strong>REJECTION</strong></p><p>The sense of rejection started Madam Tan's questions over whether he was having an affair and also about her attractiveness.</p><p>This situation continued for over two years. Often, moments of intimacy turned into explosive quarrels and "at one point, it almost broke up the marriage".</p><p>"I was dying to have a baby. He was not playing his part," Madam Tan recalls.</p><p>"Having no one to confide in, I broke down at my gynaecologist's office. I told her the problems that we were having.</p><p>"Thinking back, if I hadn't confided in her, I would have walked out on him. I was that upset," she says.</p><p>But when Mr Ang found out his wife had spoken to her doctor, he was furious and accused her of making him "lose face".</p><p>Nonetheless, he eventually went to consult a urologist. After some tests, he was diagnosed with erectile dysfunction and prescribed sildenafil.</p><p>"He was not exactly happy having to get help in that area, but it was the only way to preserve the marriage," she says.</p><p>After a year of being on medication, the couple finally got the baby they wanted. Their son is now a year old.</p><p>"After the birth of our boy, Shaun said the best thing he did was to brush his male ego and pride aside to address his ED issue," Madam Tan says.</p><p>The couple is still basking in the presence of their baby.</p><p>"Shaun is still on the pill and we are happy. We want to have more children, but at this moment, we want to enjoy our son. We'll let nature take its course," she says.</p><p>[email protected]</p><p><a href="http://www.tnp.sg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.asiaone.com/html/images/logos/tnp_logo2014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><i>This article was first published on Dec 28, 2014. <br />Get <a href="http://www.tnp.sg" target="_blank">The New Paper</a> for more stories.</i></p><!-- End For Web Only -->
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<div class="clear" id="pub_box"> <span id="pub_date">Tuesday, Dec 30, 2014</span><br>
<span id="pub_media">The New Paper</span><br> <span id="byline"><strong>By Judith Tan</strong></span> </div>
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<p>Mention erectile dysfunction or ED, and the assumption may be it is an affliction of older men only.</p><p>But doctors here say they are increasingly seeing younger men seeking treatment for the problem.</p><p>ED occurs when a man can no longer get or keep an erection firm enough to have sexual intercourse.</p><p>It is treatable.</p><p>Doctors prescribe sildenafil citrate to help maintain an erection. The two brand names for the drug are Viagra and Cialis.</p><p>Dr Peter Lim, a urologist in private practice, says that in the 1980s and 1990s, almost all ED patients were in their 40s to 60s. Now, about half of those he sees are in their 20s and 30s.</p><p>Dr Lim, who has been seeing ED patients for the past 30 years, says stress, including the pressures of work and of conception, is one of the major contributing factors.</p><p>"Diabetes, dietary habits, smoking and drinking, increase in weight and obesity are also prime factors," says the Adjunct Professor (Men's Health) with Western Australia's Edith Cowen University.</p><!--pagegallery--><p>Family physician Tan Kok Kuan has also seen this trend. He says he sees a lot of young men "who never had problems with ED until they decide to start a family".</p><p>Dr Tan says having sexual intercourse just to get a baby makes the entire process so mechanical and objective-oriented that problems arise.</p><p>"Think about it. The wife uses an ovulatory predictor from Day 10 of her period and every day from that day, the husband is waiting for the wife to say 'This is the day!'.</p><p>"Then he is expected to perform every night for the next three nights. The act of sex becomes more an act of making babies then an act of desire or love. It becomes more of a job than a pleasure."</p><p>But the rise in younger patients could be the result in a change of attitudes. Dr Colin Teo, who heads the urology department at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, found that more men, including younger ones, are more willing to talk about sexual issues.</p><p>A three-year local sex study conducted by Dr Teo and his team at the Society of Men Health's Singapore (SMHS) found that nine in 10 men would seek medical treatment for ED.</p><p>Called the Spontaneous Sex Study, its results were revealed last month.</p><p>Dr Teo estimates that the overall number of patients coming forward for help is 30 to 50 per cent more than 10 years ago.</p><p><strong>NO LONGER TABOO</strong></p><p>"Talking about the issue is no longer mythical or taboo among the younger crowd. They are educated and seem to understand the problem. If their friends sought help for ED, it's most likely they would too," he tells The New Paper on Sunday.</p><p>He adds that they are much more open to discussing with their doctor about their lack of prowess in bed.</p><p>"They say it's caused not only by stress at work, but also by their lifestyle, the coffee culture and wanting to have a family. They admit they have a problem and need help," he says.</p><p>SMHS has come up with an 80-page guideline booklet to advise medical professionals on the treatment of ED.</p><p>The booklet, to be published in January, will keep medical professionals updated on ED treatments available in the region. It is the first of its kind to be developed for family doctors in Singapore and Asia.</p><p>"Ten years ago, macho pride would have been in the way. We have certainly come a long way," Dr Teo says.</p><p><strong>Sex drug finally helps them to start family</strong></p><p>IT manager Christopher Lee, 42, and his wife had put off starting a family until about two years ago.</p><p>"We wanted to make sure we had the means to support a family first, so we threw ourselves headlong into our careers," he says.</p><p>As age was fast catching up, the couple, who had been married for about eight years, decided it was time "to make babies".</p><p>"I had just turned 40 and although she is younger - in her 30s - her fertility is also falling," he says.</p><p>By then, Mr Lee had been promoted and was given greater responsibilities at the office. He was also spending longer hours at work.</p><p>"All that and the stress of trying for a child took a toll on me. I found it difficult to get intimate with my wife. And when it came to the crunch, I could not maintain an erection," he recalls.</p><p>"What was to have been a beautiful intimate time with my wife became an ordeal. We were often frustrated and I felt I was constantly letting her down," Mr Lee adds.</p><p>This went on for "a couple of months" before the Lees decided to address the issue.</p><p>They did not want the option of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) "as it could get really expensive".</p><!--pagegallery--><p><strong>HELP</strong></p><p>"Seeing that I was the problem, I allayed her fears by taking it upon myself to seek help. So I went to see our family doctor, who referred me to a urologist," Mr Lee said.</p><p>He was put through a battery of tests and was told there was no problem with his fertility.</p><p>"I was happy when they told me I wasn't shooting blanks... I was merely not able to hold up the barrel," Mr Lee says, laughing.</p><p>He was prescribed Viagra.</p><p>"There was no immediate effect. It was only after the second month that things got better," he recalls.</p><p>And in the third month, his wife called to say they "needed to talk".</p><p>"She sounded serious and I was worried. Then I saw a series of pictures of pregnant women's baby bumps and babies that she had tagged me in on Facebook. Then I knew... We were having a baby," he says.</p><p>Their son is now 18 months old.</p><p>"I was over the moon when she gave birth. To think, when we were having issues, I never saw a way out."</p><p>"Who knew a little pill that had a whole lot of bad press was my way out," he adds.</p><p>Mr Lee is continuing with his use of sildenafil to "continue to have a normal sex life with my wife".</p><p>"I am also hoping for more children, perhaps a little girl next," he says.</p><p><strong>She thought hubby was having an affair</strong></p><p>At first she thought she wasn't pretty enough, having turned 30.</p><p>Then she suspected he had someone younger on the side.</p><p>"He was always too tired to get intimate and when he did, more often than not, he couldn't finish the job."</p><p>Madam Mary Tan, 32, who is part of an operations team at a manufacturing company, is talking about her husband, Mr Shaun Ang, 36. Mr Ang works in the same company.</p><p>The couple married in their early 20s, "but we decided to wait till I was 25 to have a baby", she says.</p><p>Working in operations meant that they had to work shifts, sometimes different ones.</p><p>"Shaun gets calls even when he's at home or on his days off," says Madam Tan.</p><p>And when they have "that little window for intimacy, it got increasingly difficult for him to stay hard".</p><p><strong>REJECTION</strong></p><p>The sense of rejection started Madam Tan's questions over whether he was having an affair and also about her attractiveness.</p><p>This situation continued for over two years. Often, moments of intimacy turned into explosive quarrels and "at one point, it almost broke up the marriage".</p><p>"I was dying to have a baby. He was not playing his part," Madam Tan recalls.</p><p>"Having no one to confide in, I broke down at my gynaecologist's office. I told her the problems that we were having.</p><p>"Thinking back, if I hadn't confided in her, I would have walked out on him. I was that upset," she says.</p><p>But when Mr Ang found out his wife had spoken to her doctor, he was furious and accused her of making him "lose face".</p><p>Nonetheless, he eventually went to consult a urologist. After some tests, he was diagnosed with erectile dysfunction and prescribed sildenafil.</p><p>"He was not exactly happy having to get help in that area, but it was the only way to preserve the marriage," she says.</p><p>After a year of being on medication, the couple finally got the baby they wanted. Their son is now a year old.</p><p>"After the birth of our boy, Shaun said the best thing he did was to brush his male ego and pride aside to address his ED issue," Madam Tan says.</p><p>The couple is still basking in the presence of their baby.</p><p>"Shaun is still on the pill and we are happy. We want to have more children, but at this moment, we want to enjoy our son. We'll let nature take its course," she says.</p><p>[email protected]</p><p><a href="http://www.tnp.sg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.asiaone.com/html/images/logos/tnp_logo2014.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><i>This article was first published on Dec 28, 2014. <br />Get <a href="http://www.tnp.sg" target="_blank">The New Paper</a> for more stories.</i></p><!-- End For Web Only -->
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