News

12th February 2004

Macho men just aren't as hard as bankers!

Infertility affects between 20 and 25% of all couples who are of reproductive age and at least 30% of men have problems conceiving whilst 2% are completely infertile.

One problem that affects men with fertility problems is known as erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence. Now a new Australian study, published this week, has discovered that men in the financial sector, such as professional bankers, are more likely to seek a helping hand with their problems than those in any other job.

The national study was carried out by Stephen Carroll, the chairperson of the Sydney Psychotherapy Association and co-author of Your Penis, A User's Guide, who said "What we found was people in the finance sector - stockbrokers, bankers, accountants - were the ones who were beating down the door of their GPs to talk about their erectile dysfunction problems."

Carroll went on to say, "There is a tendency for guys in so-called macho occupations to feel they are immune to ED so they ignore the signs for years rather than discuss the problem with their doctor."

It is estimated that more than 152 million men worldwide suffer from impotence and in the UK it is believed that more men have ED than have diabetes. Whilst there are no statistics available regarding the relationship between professions and the disorder, the Australian study has found that men who worked in jobs involving little exercise, such as taxi drivers, were more likely to suffer impotence, and less likely to do anything about it.

A current UK study has found that smoking affects nearly all aspects of fertility.