Dangers of 'gooning' - Britain's fastest growing sex fetish could be fuelling erectile dysfunction, warn expertsExperts have warned a new fetish that sees men undertake 'marathon' masturbation sessions while avoiding or delaying their orgasm could lead to them suffering erectile dysfunction.
Called 'gooning', research suggests interest in the sexual practice has exploded 800 per cent in five years.
Gooning sessions can last anywhere from an hour to marathons of seven or more, according to online forums where fans of the fetish share their experiences.
However, experts warned that so-called 'gooners' risk suffering from issues like erectile dysfunction and potential pornography addiction due to their habit.
Dr Richard Viney, a consultant urological surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, said gooning was the latest in a long line of unusual masturbatory practices' undertaken by men seeking a 'transcendental sexual experience'.
'This is probably rooted in tantric practices that became influential in Western culture in the swinging sixties,' he said.
'The concept of trying to prolong the sexual act and enhance the experience as much as possible is an understandable holy grail.'
But he added that there was no evidence it worked and, in fact, could lead to problems in the bedroom.
'Relying heavily on pornography can desensitise the individual to real sexual encounters increasing the risk of erectile dysfunction when engaging in sex with a partner,' he warned.
Dr Viney said this was due to 'gooners' essentially mentally training themselves to only become aroused while viewing pornography.
'A man can find he needs pornography to get aroused rather than on the presence and touch of his partner,' he said.
'Difficulties with erections and sexual performance can then lead to performance anxiety making the sexual issues more embedded.'
Dr Paula Hall, from the not-for-profit online therapy programme Pivotal Recovery and who has worked on pornography addiction, said ‘gooning’ could potentially be harmful depending on how often someone partakes and for what reasons.
While she said it was probably fine when performed as 'an occasional treat’ she added, like with any behaviour, when taken to an extreme it could be a sign of problems.
'It's no different than occasionally binge-watching a boxed-set,' she said.
'But doing it five or six hours every day of the week is unlikely to be beneficial.’
She warned that ‘gooners’ could also risk forming a potentially problematic relationship with pornography, particularly if they are using it as an escape from issues like stress or depression.
This, she warned, could even lead to pornography addiction.
'If we keep repeating any behaviour it gets more habituated,’ she said.
'Your brain is undoubtedly becoming more habituated to that behaviour and the more often it’s repeated, the more likely you are to struggle to stop and enjoy other activities.'
Dr Hall said the consequence of such problematic use can lead to problems in the bedroom such as erectile dysfunction and lower libido.
'We know that people with compulsive sexual behaviours tend to struggle with erectile dysfunction,' she said.
She added there is some debate among experts whether these issues are due to problematic pornography use directly inhibiting sexual arousal or the guilt or shame someone feels from performing acts like 'gooning', sometimes in secrecy.
'Precisely what the mechanism is, we don't know, but we know research suggests a link between erectile dysfunction and problematic pornography use,' she said.
Dr Hall added that, depending on the extent of the behaviour, other problems, including financial issues.
'While amount of time spent watching porn may be an indicator that you have a problem, the biggest measure is whether it's having a negative impact on your life, but in spite of that, you can't stop.
'Regrettably there's lots of evidence that, over time, compulsive pornography use begins to have a negative impact on other areas of life including relationships, work, friendships, finance and general mental health and wellbeing.'
'Many people start with online porn but then progress to chat, webcam, adult hook up sites and offline real-life encounters.’Concerns about gooning follow research that suggested interest in the term had skyrocketed 778 per cent over the past five years based on data from Google search patterns.
There are no accurate estimates for how many individual Brits may actually be practising 'gooning'.
But research does suggest as many as one in 20 Brits have problematic porn usage, meaning their habit is having a wider negative impact on their life.
Experts caution however that estimates of how many people might be living with a porn addiction are inherently unreliable.
This in due to many sufferers avoiding seeking professional help due to shame and embarrassment of their affliction or fear of exposure.