Free hotline to help men with impotence problems

The national organisation Impotence Australia has launched a free national resource to help men and their partners find satisfaction in the bedroom.

Brett McCann, chief executive officer of Impotence Australia, says the free and independent phone service and website is designed to provide men with the best and most cost efficient help available in their local area.

More than 1.5 million Australian men and their partners are affected by impotence also known as erectile dysfunction (ED).

Impotence Australia’s new national clinical data base is the most comprehensive in Australia and is specifically designed to put men in touch with their closest doctor or counsellor who specialises in impotence.

“We provide free expert phone counselling for men and their partners with sexual health issues along with comprehensive information packs on many sexual issues,” Mr McCann says. “It’s important that men and their partners know that in the majority of cases getting help is simple and not costly.

“Seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner (GP) is essential. To properly treat your ED, you need a full medical assessment that only a GP is qualified to carry out,” he says.

“First they look at your overall health to work out the possible health issue such as heart disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes or depression.

“Then the cause and the symptoms of ED can be managed with appropriate treatment usually available from your pharmacist.”

Although most Australian men will experience occasional impotence, research has shown about a third of men aged 40-
; more than half of men aged in their 60s; and almost 70% of men over 70 will experience more persistent problems.

The majority of doctors on the data base either bulk bill or cost $50-$80 for a consultation. A specialist or sexual health physician will cost $100-$150, part of which can be claimed on Medicare. A counsellor who specialises in sexual health charges $80-$160 for a face-to-face session.