Objective: We aimed to verify the rate of masturbation (Mst) in a group of 150 Italian patients complaining Erectile Dysfunction (ED).
Materials and methods: Our diagnostic protocol for penile and sexual problems included the collection of the patient's history, general and local clinical examination, and metabolic and hormonal analyses. Selected patients were also submitted to nocturnal penile tumescence test (Rigiscan), Duplex ultrasound of the penis, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, neurological tests and cardiological examination. A group of 150 Italian males (aged between 20 and 86 years) who complained ED and who presented to our Andrological Center to research the possibility of correcting their ED and being able to recover adequate sexual erectile activity were included in this study. In this group of patients suffering from ED we decided to evaluate the practice of Mst by asking specific questions: 1. Do you sometimes practice Mst? 2. How often in a week? 3. Is Mst hidden or known by the partner? 4. What do you use as a masturbatory sexual stimulus? The frequency of Mst was assessed according to a Likert scale as follow: a: No Mst; b:1-2/week; c: 2-3/week; d: > 3/week; e: daily or more. We also asked if it was possible to have penetrative marital intercourse on the same day as Mst (1-10 hours). We also asked what they used as a triggering sexual stimulus: press magazines, TV movies, the WEB.
Results: Only 5/150 patients did not report Mst while 27/145 pts (aged 20-30 years) reported it more than 3 times a week; 44/145 (aged 31-50 years) 1-3 times a week and 27/145 (51-86 years) 1-2 times a week. Almost all patients used WebPorn as a stimulus for Mst. A group of patients over the age of 50 said they were quite satisfied with the physical results of Mst even though they would prefer to have sex as part of a couple relationship.
Conclusions: The outburst of Mst in this web-dominated era could affect the sexual activity of individual males and couples.