Erectile dysfunction doesn't really affect your health and you should learn to live with it and be a man about it, right?

Wrong!: Ed can be an early signal that a man's heart or brain is at risk for heart disease or stroke. Ed can happen 10 years before a man develops life-threatening heart disease. All men with ED need to see a health care provider.

No!: While erectile dysfunction & impotence may not affect your health per se, it's more likely that your (poor) health is affecting your erectile function. Sure you can "live with it" for now, but if you don't address underlying issues now, you're more likely to have major issues later on, eg heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, etc. You don't have to take viagra (sildenafil) but you should find out why u have ed.

False: Ed can be a barometer or measure of your body's overall health and blood flow. Sometimes it can be the first sign of heart disease or vessel disease in older patients. If it is a problem, you should see a urologist to make sure that there is no larger issue. Also urologist can help to improve erection in many cases.