The 73-year-old Tyhemba Mason has been celibate for a period of time he describes only as “a while.” A large part of his sexual reality deals with circumstance.
“When you get older, the game (meeting a potential sexual partner) changes a little bit, so finding a likely candidate becomes a little bit more interesting,” said Mason, a longtime Houstonian.
But another reality hindering Mason’s sex game is the erectile dysfunction symptoms he has displayed for, again, “a while.”
You don’t wanna get in a situation where you find a willing partner and can’t do anything.
Tyhemba Mason
Though Mason is climbing towards his 80s, such senior status does not preclude the sex drive for many adults. Thus, any hindrance in sexual functioning, whether for a 70-plus-year-old Black man or one 10 – 30 years younger, is a hard reality for thousands.
What is erectile dysfunction?
“Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the persistent inability to achieve or maintain a penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance,” according to hardfacts.com, an information initiative of Boston Scientific.
“That means a man cannot get hard enough to penetrate, or if he gets hard enough to penetrate, he can’t maintain hard status,” said Dr. MJ Collier, a regular contributor to the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. “A lot of men will get an erection, they will penetrate and then during the process, everybody starts strokin’, then the man loses his erection, the penis just shrinks and then that’s it… You’re in the midst of having sex, and then the man just loses his erection. Or, the worse case, a man can’t get an erection.”
Per hardfacts.com: “ED can limit your intimacy, affect your self-esteem and impact your most important relationships. Beyond the physical manifestations, ED causes emotional damage and there is a strong link found between ED and depression.”
And this is a global issue. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that approximately 15% of males are affected by ED annually, a number projected to reach 320 million in 2025.
Impact on Black men
Physician, author and host of the “Better Black Health Podcast” Greg Hall MD says studies reveal that approximately 40% of Black men over the age of 40 experience some form of erection problems.
“This prevalence increases with age and with increasing chronic disease burden, affecting nearly 70% of Black men by the time they reach their 70s,” said Hall, who believes the folklore about Black male sexual prowess and virility often leads people to assume ED is not an issue with Black men.
“The truth is Black men have more trouble with erections compared to other races/ethnicities. With all of the increased health problems in Black men, including heart disease, cancer and prostate problems, it should be no surprise,” Hall stated.
Hard conversations
Interestingly, some research asserts that Black men seek out doctor’s advice and treatments for ED more than men of other races. However, just as many statistics contend the opposite.
In one study, 24.4% of Black men reported ED, compared to 21.9% of white men. These numbers could either suggest a higher occurrence of ED in Black men, a higher willingness from Black men to report such issues to their doctor, or both. Or neither. The jury is still out, especially since, as with nearly all medical issues, Black men are less prevalent as research subjects.
Hall believes Black men are less likely to talk to their doctor about erection problems compared to white men because it’s a culturally sensitive conversation.
Collier says his ED patients, more often than not, come in looking for ED medication, not realizing there may be underlying factors contributing to their ED.
“I get men that come to my office and say, ‘Doc, I just need some of that Viagra. I just need some of that Cialis.’ I say, ‘No, we’re actually going to evaluate you to see what the cause of the problem is,’” said Collier. “Understand this, ED is oftentimes a symptom of something else, usually cardiovascular disease, which could include high blood pressure, high cholesterol or even diabetes. I oftentimes will make that diagnosis.”
Mason believes Black men don’t want to have open and honest conversations about ED. The extent of the feedback Mason received from fellow Black men on the subject was “Just go to the doctor and get you some of that Viagra or some of that Cialis,” which he did.
“I’ve gone to the VA and got some Viagra. However, I haven’t even used it yet. But I feel like there is some symptom of erectile dysfunction,” said Mason.
Causes
Regarding health realities that might lead to ED, Collier says, “Oftentimes [Black men] are undiagnosed or have no previous diagnosis of high blood pressure, no previous diagnosis of high cholesterol or no previous diagnosis of diabetes. If we treat the primary problem, [ED] goes away.”
The medical community, including singlecare.com, identifies several potential ED-inducing health issues in addition to those listed by Collier above. These include low testosterone, obesity, COPD, diet, poor circulation, spinal cord injuries, kidney disease and bladder issues.
ED sufferers have also noted an onset of their condition due to complications from surgery and after taking certain medications.
“A few years back, I stopped taking blood pressure medication for about a year, and I was surprised that my ability [to have an erection] came back,” shared Mason. “But, since I went in the hospital a couple years back and started back on the blood pressure medication, I’m concerned there might be a problem there.”
Solutions
The global market for ED drugs was estimated at $2.92 billion in 2024. Due to an aging population, increasing R&D breakthroughs, and ED’s growing prevalence, this market is projected to grow by 9.13% from 2025 to 2030.
The most common ED treatment drugs are sildenafil (Viagra), a short-acting medication that takes 30 to 60 minutes to work; vardenafil (Levitra), a shorter-acting medication with fewer side effects than other options; tadalafil (Cialis), a longer-lasting medication that can take 30 minutes to 6 hours to work; and avanafil (Stendra), a newer medication that works quickly and has fewer side effects but costs more.
Collier has his own ED medications he sells (LIPO-T).
Some ED sufferers utilize alternative methods to treat ED. These include mental health therapy, lifestyle changes (such as diet, exercise, reduced alcohol intake), vacuum devices, injections and more.
Mason is trying natural remedies. Some include sea moss, moringa tea, ginseng, pomegranate juice, ginkgo, yohimbine and horny goat weed.
“You don’t wanna get in a situation where you find a willing partner and can’t do anything. I had one guy who gave me some liquid. He said, ‘Try this whenever the situation arises.’ But heck, at 73, it ain’t like I got women breaking down the door,” shared Mason.
