# What Happens at Your First ED Appointment

> A walkthrough of what a first consultation for erectile dysfunction actually involves — the questions, the examination, the tests, and what you should leave with.

- **Source:** ED Treatment Guides (https://www.edtreatmentguides.com/guides/first-appointment)
- **Last updated:** 2025-11-18
- **Type:** guide
- **Topic:** Getting started

## Key points

- Most of the appointment is conversation. The examination is brief and usually straightforward.
- Expect questions about your erections, your general health, your medications and your mood.
- A genital examination is standard but not always necessary at the first visit — you can ask what it will involve.
- You should leave with a plan: a cause being investigated, a treatment to try, and a date to review.
- Bring your partner if it would help. Many clinicians welcome it.

## Before you go

- [ ] Write your medication list, including supplements — the single most useful thing you can bring.
- [ ] Note when the problem started and whether the onset was sudden or gradual.
- [ ] Note whether you get erections on waking or alone.
- [ ] Take your [self-assessment score](https://www.edtreatmentguides.com/tools/ed-self-assessment).
- [ ] Write down your questions. It is easy to forget them in the room.
- [ ] If bloods are likely, ask whether you should fast beforehand.

## What happens during the appointment

1. **The sexual history.** When it started, how consistent it is, whether it is getting or keeping the erection, morning erections, desire, ejaculation, and how it is affecting you and your relationship.
2. **The general history.** Diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, heart disease, surgery, smoking, alcohol, exercise, sleep, mood and stress.
3. **Medication review.** Every drug you take, prescribed or otherwise.
4. **Examination.** Blood pressure, pulse, weight and waist. Often a genital examination to check testicular size and feel for a Peyronie's plaque. Sometimes peripheral pulses and, where appropriate, a prostate examination.
5. **Tests.** Usually blood tests — glucose or HbA1c, lipids, and a morning testosterone if indicated.
6. **The plan.** A treatment to start, what to expect, and when to come back.

> **About the examination**
>
> A genital examination is normal practice and takes under a minute. It is not always essential at a first visit — if it worries you, say so and ask what it is for. You can ask for a chaperone, and you are entitled to one.

## What you should leave with

- [ ] A clear statement of what your clinician thinks is going on, or what they are ruling out.
- [ ] Any tests ordered, and how you will get the results.
- [ ] A treatment to try, with the dose and how to take it.
- [ ] Explicit instructions on what to do if the first attempt does not work — including how many attempts to make before concluding it has failed.
- [ ] A review date.
- [ ] A clear answer on whether your cardiovascular risk has been assessed.

> **The most common avoidable failure**
>
> Being handed a prescription with no instruction on timing, food or the need for arousal — and no plan for what happens if it does not work. Many men take one tablet, get a poor result, and never go back. Ask for the follow-up plan before you leave the room.

## The follow-up visit

Expect a review at around four to eight weeks. Between visits, keep a simple note of what you took, when, what you had eaten, and what happened. That log makes the follow-up appointment far more productive than trying to remember.

- If the response was partial, a dose increase is often the next step.
- If there was no response at the maximum tolerated dose after a genuine trial, switching molecules is standard before moving on.
- If two different tablets have failed, ask about referral to urology and about [injection therapy](https://www.edtreatmentguides.com/treatments/penile-injections).
- If test results showed something — raised glucose, low testosterone, high lipids — make sure there is a plan for that too, not just for the erection.

## Frequently asked questions

### Will I definitely be examined?

A genital examination is standard practice but not always performed at a first visit. Ask what it will involve and why — that is a reasonable question.

### Can I bring my partner?

Yes, and many clinicians find it helpful. Partners often supply information you may not think to mention.

### Will I get a prescription on the first visit?

Often yes, if there are no contraindications. Sometimes results are needed first, particularly where cardiac risk is uncertain.

### How much does the appointment cost?

It depends entirely on your insurance and setting. The consultation is usually covered even where the medication is not — worth checking in advance.

## Sources

- American Urological Association. [Erectile Dysfunction: AUA Guideline](https://www.auanet.org/guidelines-and-quality/guidelines/erectile-dysfunction-(ed)-guideline) (2018)
- Urology Care Foundation. [What is Erectile Dysfunction?](https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/e/erectile-dysfunction-(ed))
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. [Definition & Facts for Erectile Dysfunction](https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/urologic-diseases/erectile-dysfunction)

## Related pages

- [How to Bring Up ED With Your Doctor](https://www.edtreatmentguides.com/guides/talking-to-your-doctor)
- [ED Symptoms and How It Is Diagnosed](https://www.edtreatmentguides.com/guides/symptoms-and-diagnosis)
- [ED Medication Dosage Guide](https://www.edtreatmentguides.com/guides/dosage-guide)
- [Free ED self-assessment](https://www.edtreatmentguides.com/tools/ed-self-assessment)

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_This page is general health information, not medical advice. It cannot account for your own history, medications or risk factors. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting, stopping or changing any treatment._

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