Taipei, Feb. 9 (CNA) Over half of middle-aged married men in Taiwan think that a low sex drive is normal, while 40 percent have difficulty maintaining a satisfactory sex life, according to a recent online survey.

Nearly 60 percent of the 600 married men over the age of 40 who were polled said that that age and stress had dulled their desire for sex.

In the poll, which was conducted by the Taiwanese Association of Andrology (TAND), 40 percent of the men said it was hard for them to a maintain a fulfilling sex life.

Chien Pang-ping, a TAND member and urologist at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital (VGHKS), said VGHKS clinical statistics indicate that only around 70 percent of men would seek medical help after suffering erectile dysfunction problems for more than a year.

"It means that they miss the best window of opportunity for successful treatment, mainly because they are embarrassed about the problem or do not know where to seek help," Chien said.

Furthermore, almost 70 percent of men have the misconception that they could be classified as having erectile dysfunction if they fail to reach orgasm five out of 10 times, Chien said, citing the poll.

In fact, the inability to achieve or maintain erection could be a sign of diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, he added.

"When men find they are not satisfied with their sex lives, it's probably time for a health check," he said.
(By Chen Ching-fang and Nell Shen)