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What this section is for
This pillar holds the guide that reads the American Urological Association's erectile dysfunction guideline statement by statement, and connects to the hormones pillar for testosterone and to telehealth for how online prescribing of these medications is regulated. Pages are added here when a primary source exists to build them on, not before.
Erectile dysfunction is a marker, then a diagnosis
The AUA guideline instructs clinicians to counsel men that erectile dysfunction is a risk marker for underlying cardiovascular disease that may warrant evaluation. That is why the basic workup is metabolic rather than sexual: blood pressure, glucose or A1C, lipids, and a morning total testosterone. The guideline says every patient should be told about every treatment that is not contraindicated, "regardless of invasiveness or irreversibility, as potential first-line treatments." PDE5 inhibitors such as sildenafil and tadalafil are the FDA-approved pills among them, and the guideline includes lifestyle change: diet and increased physical activity may improve erectile function in men with related comorbidities. Erectile dysfunction: causes, tests and what works follows the guideline and names what it does not support, including supplement stacks.
What to check before an online prescription
Sildenafil and tadalafil do not appear on the DEA's list of controlled substances (the alphabetical index revised August 27, 2026, in which testosterone does appear), so the federal in-person rule does not apply to them. State medical boards still require a prescriber licensed in your state and a documented evaluation. Testosterone is Schedule III and does fall under the federal telemedicine rule that currently runs through December 31, 2026. What an online prescriber can legally prescribe you covers both, and Low testosterone covers why a single afternoon testosterone result is not a diagnosis under the AUA's own rule.
Frequently asked questions
Should erectile dysfunction be checked out even if a pill works?
The AUA guideline counsels men that erectile dysfunction is a risk marker for underlying cardiovascular disease that may warrant evaluation. The workup our guide describes is blood pressure, glucose or A1C, lipids and a morning total testosterone. Treating the symptom does not answer the question the symptom raises.
Do supplements for erectile function work?
The AUA guideline recommends no supplement. The treatments it tells clinicians to discuss include PDE5 inhibitors such as sildenafil and tadalafil, the FDA-approved pills, and it says diet and increased physical activity may improve erectile function in men with related comorbidities.