International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) Questionnaire

Evaluates erectile dysfunction and treatment outcomes in clinical trials.

Refer to the text below the calculator for more information about the original study that led to the development of the IIEF.


The IIEF questionnaire is a self-administered and validated tool for the clinical assessment of erectile dysfunction and treatment outcomes in clinical trials.

Scores of 0 to 5 are awarded to each of the 15 questions, then the scores are interpreted in the view of the five domains from the original study.


Guidelines

  • Patients with low IEEF scores (<14 out of 30) in Domain A (Erectile Function) may be considered for a trial course of therapy with Sildenafil unless contraindicated. Specialist referral is indicated if this is unsuccessful.
  • Patients demonstrating primary orgasmic or ejaculatory dysfunction (Domain B) should be referred for specialist investigation.
  • Patients with reduced sexual desire (Domain C) require testing of blood levels of androgen and prolactin.
  • Psychosexual counselling should be considered if low scores are recorded in Domains D and E but there is only a moderately lowered score (14 to 25) in Domain A.

Instruction: Please answer the following questions by considering the past 4 weeks:

1How often were you able to get an erection during sexual activity?
2When you had erections with sexual stimulation, how often were your erections hard enough for penetration?
3When you attempted intercourse, how often were you able to penetrate (enter) your partner?
4During sexual intercourse, how often were you able to maintain your erection after you had penetrated (entered) your partner?
5During sexual intercourse, how difficult was it to maintain your erection to completion of intercourse?
6How many times have you attempted sexual intercourse?
7When you attempted sexual intercourse, how often was it satisfactory for you?
8How much have you enjoyed sexual intercourse?
9When you had sexual stimulation or intercourse, how often did you ejaculate?
10When you had sexual stimulation or intercourse, how often did you have the feeling of orgasm or climax?
11How often have you felt sexual desire?
12How would you rate your level of sexual desire?
13How satisfied have you been with your overall sex life?
14How satisfied have you been with your sexual relationship with your partner?
15How do you rate your confidence that you could get and keep an erection?
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Steps on how to print your input & results:

1. Fill in the calculator/tool with your values and/or your answer choices and press Calculate.

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IIEF Questionnaire Explained

IIEF assessment assesses to a limit the psychosexual background and the partner relationship, both considered important factors in the presentation of male sexual dysfunction.

The respondent is asked to consider the impact their erection problems have had on their sexual life in the past four weeks. Sexual activity includes intercourse, caressing, foreplay and masturbation.

Scores of 0 to 5 are awarded to each of the 15 questions, then the scores are interpreted in the view of the five domains from the original study.

Domain Title Questions Maximum Score Mean Scores
Controls Patients
Domain A Erectile Function 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 15 30 25.8 10.7
Domain B Orgasmic Function 9, 10 10 9.8 5.3
Domain C Sexual Desire 11, 12 10 7.0 6.3
Domain D Intercourse Satisfaction 6, 7 and 8 15 10.6 5.5
Domain E Overall Satisfaction 13, 14 10 8.6 4.4

Guidelines

  • Patients with low IEEF scores (<14 out of 30) in Domain A (Erectile Function) may be considered for a trial course of therapy with Sildenafil unless contraindicated. Specialist referral is indicated if this is unsuccessful.
  • Patients demonstrating primary orgasmic or ejaculatory dysfunction (Domain B) should be referred for specialist investigation.
  • Patients with reduced sexual desire (Domain C) require testing of blood levels of androgen and prolactin.
  • Psychosexual counselling should be considered if low scores are recorded in Domains D and E but there is only a moderately lowered score (14 to 25) in Domain A.
 

About the Original Study

Rosen et al. set out to develop a reliable and self-administered measure of erectile function that can be used cross-culturally in general population with sensitivity, specificity and validity.

Following linguistic validation in 10 languages and the application of an initial questionnaire with items from relevant domains of sexual function across various cultures, a final 15-item questionnaire, the IIEF was established. The IIEF was tested in a sample of 111 men with sexual dysfunction and 109 age-matched healthy volunteers.

This was then examined for sensitivity, specificity, reliability (internal consistency and test-retest repeatability), and construct (concurrent, convergent, and discriminant) validity.

Following a principal components analysis, 5 domains were identified, with eigenvalues greater than 1.0 and a high degree of internal consistency in the studied populations.

The IIEF showed adequate construct validity, and all five domains showed a high degree of sensitivity and specificity to the effects of erectile disfunction treatment.

 

References

Original reference

Rosen R, Riley A, Wagner G, et al. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF): A multidimensional scale for assessment of erectile dysfunction. Urology, 1997, 49: 822-830.


Specialty: Urology

System: Reproductive

Objective: Assessment

Year Of Study: 1997

Abbreviation: IIEF

Article By: Denise Nedea

Published On: October 10, 2020 · 12:00 AM

Last Checked: October 10, 2020

Next Review: October 10, 2025