Hyperestrogenism is associated with sexual function impairment in men—findings from a cross‐sectional, real‐life study

Background Hyperestrogenism is believed to be harmful to male sexuality. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of and the impact of hyperestrogenism on sexual functioning in a cohort of men seeking medical attention for new‐onset erectile dysfunction. Materials and methods Data from 547 men seeking first medical help for new‐onset erectile dysfunction at a single andrology center were analyzed. Patients were assessed with a thorough medical and sexual history. Comorbidities were scored with the Charlson comorbidity index. All patients completed the International index of erectile function; the International index of erectile function‐erectile function domain was categorized according to Cappelleri's criteria. Circulating hormones were measured in every patient. Hyperestrogenism was defined as estradiol levels >42.6 pg/mL (Tan et al., 2015). Descriptive statistics and logistic/linear regression models tested the association between hyperestrogenism and International index of erectile function domains score. Results Overall, 96 (17.6%) participants had serum estrogen levels suggestive of hyperestrogenism. Men with hyperestrogenism were older (median [interquartile range]: 46 [35–59] vs. 44 [31–56] years; p