A 2024 database study looked at non-diabetic men ages 18 to 50 with obesity who were prescribed semaglutide for weight loss. It found more new erectile-dysfunction diagnoses or ED-medication prescriptions in the semaglutide group than in a similar comparison group. In the matched groups, the outcome was still uncommon: about 1 in 67 men in the semaglutide group versus about 1 in 300 in the comparison group.

The peptide group's rate was roughly four-and-a-half times higher in that observational database study. Both rates are small, and the study cannot prove causality on its own.

The study was observational, which means it can flag a signal but can't prove the peptide caused it. Men who are obese and non-diabetic carry their own cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors that the study can't fully control for.

Erectile function is shaped by sleep, hormones, vascular health, stress, and medications. A weight-loss intervention moves several of those at once, in different directions.