The Work Stress & ED Report

Work stress doesn't always stay at the office. Long hours, burnout, financial pressure, and the challenge of switching off after work can affect many areas of life, including relationships and sexual health. Yet erectile dysfunction (ED) is still often viewed only as a sexual issue, leaving many men feeling embarrassed or reluctant to seek help.

To better understand the connection, MedExpress Canada surveyed 1,008 Canadian men about how workplace stress influences their sex lives, relationships, and experiences with ED. The findings show that work stress doesn't just affect how men feel on the job. It can also reduce intimacy, lower confidence, and keep many from getting the treatment they need.

Key takeaways

• 36% of Canadian men say work stress has negatively affected their sex life in the past year.
• 38% of Canadian men are avoiding sex because they feel too drained or stressed from work.
• Men who are highly stressed at work are 2.5 times more likely than men who aren't stressed at all to have had ED in the past year.
• 58% of Canadian men say they would be more likely to seek treatment if they saw it as a stress and burnout issue rather than a purely sexual one.

Highly stressed men report much higher rates of ED

• 36% of men say work stress has negatively affected their sex life.
• Top stressors hurting men's sex lives:
  • Burnout (41%)
  • Poor work-life balance (31%)
  • Financial stress (29%)
  • Long hours (28%)
  • Heavy workload (26%)
  • Difficulty disconnecting after hours (23%)
• 38% of men say they've felt too exhausted for sex because of work stress.
• Men who are very or extremely stressed are 2.5 times more likely than men who aren't stressed at all to have experienced ED.

Burnout, men's sex lives, and relationships

• Men who are very or extremely stressed at work are 6.2 times more likely to notice a change in sexual performance after a stressful workday than men who aren't stressed at all.
• 38% of men have avoided sex altogether because work left them too drained or stressed, skipping it an average of 7.5 times in the past year.
• Top ways stress shows up in relationships:
  • Lower intimacy frequency (29%)
  • Emotional distance (26%)
  • Less communication (23%)
  • More arguing (18%)
  • Partner frustration (15%)
• Among men who've experienced ED in the past year, 48% say it's hurt their overall self-esteem, and 38% say it's hurt their physical fitness or self-image.

Most men with ED never ask for help

• Only 30% of men who've experienced ED have ever sought treatment or spoken to a doctor about it; 70% have not.
• Top barriers to seeking treatment:
  • Embarrassment (57%)
  • Assuming it'll go away on its own (45%)
  • Stigma/fear of judgment (38%)
  • Not wanting to discuss it with a doctor (36%)
  • Cost/not serious enough (26%)
  • Not knowing where to go (23%)
• 58% of men say they'd be more likely to seek treatment if ED were framed as a stress and burnout issue rather than purely sexual.
• 78% of men who've experienced ED would rather use a discreet telehealth visit than see a doctor in person.

Methodology

MedExpress Canada surveyed 1,008 Canadian men aged 18 and older to explore how workplace stress, burnout, and career pressure affect sexual health, confidence, and relationships. The survey was fielded from July 13 to July 16, 2026. Men who have had ED refers to those who reported experiencing ED "Sometimes," "Often," or "Always" in the past year (22%). Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 73 and were grouped into generations as follows: Gen Z, ages 18–29 (31% of respondents), millennials, ages 30–45 (50%), Gen X, ages 46–61 (15%), and baby boomers, ages 62 and up (4%). Where averages are reported for numeric questions (such as sex frequency per month), outliers were removed using the IQR method to prevent extreme values from skewing the results. All percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number.

Fair use statement

The findings and graphics in this report are freely available for non-commercial use, provided a link back to this original page and a credit to MedExpress Canada.