Online vs face-to-face ED consultation: what works best for you

If you've been putting this off, you're not alone.

Difficulty getting or keeping an erection is one of the most common health problems men have.

In Britain's national sex survey, about 13% of sexually active men aged 16 to 74 said they'd had trouble getting or keeping an erection, lasting three months or more, in the past year.

A long-running US study of men aged 40 to 70 found that around half of the men who participated in the study had some degree of erection problem.

Yet, many men wait a long time before asking for help.

In a 2022 charity poll of 1,000 UK men by The Urology Foundation, more than half said anxiety had stopped them from seeking treatment.

This guide walks through what actually happens in each type of consultation, step by step. No surprises, no awkward guesswork.

Before you begin: A little bit about OnlineClinic

OnlineClinic has been operating since 2011 and has treated more than 2.1 million patients.

The pharmacy is registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), our prescribers are registered with the General Medical Council (GMC), and the service is regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

As of October 2026, on Trustpilot, the service rating is 4.6 out of 5 based on 7,114 reviews.

Occasional problems are usually tied to tiredness, stress, or alcohol. When it keeps happening, it's worth finding out why.

Guidelines from the British Society for Sexual Medicine (BSSM) and the European Association of Urology (EAU) link ongoing ED to:

There's also a well-established link with heart health.

The blood vessels in the penis are narrower than those supplying the heart, so they can show signs of trouble earlier.

An expert consensus published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice estimated that ED tends to appear 2 to 3 years before symptoms of heart disease.

A face-to-face appointment is usually with your GP. Most of it is a conversation, followed by a few quick checks.

The questions a doctor asks about your erections

Expect questions such as:

Some doctors use a short scoring questionnaire called the IIEF (International Index of Erectile Function).

EAU guidelines recommend it to measure how things are now and track progress.

The physical examination

BSSM guidelines recommend a focused examination for men seeing a doctor about ED for the first time. That usually means:

The genital check takes a minute or two. You can ask for a chaperone, and you can say at any point if you'd like to stop.

Blood tests a doctor may arrange

BSSM guidelines recommend these for men newly seeking help with ED:

These help the doctor work out your overall heart risk.

If testosterone comes back low, our guide to testosterone and ED explains what happens next.

Treatment and specialist referral

If treatment is suitable, the doctor can prescribe it at the appointment.

If needed, they can also refer you to a specialist, for example, a urologist for curvature or a hormone specialist for low testosterone.

A regulated online consultation covers the same ground in a different format.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), which regulates UK pharmacies, tightened its rules for online services in February 2025.

Here's how ours works.

The health questionnaire

You fill in a confidential questionnaire. It takes around 5 to 10 minutes and covers:

The questions are thorough on purpose. Your medicine list matters most, because a few medicines must never be combined with ED tablets.

The prescriber review

A UK-registered prescriber reviews your answers before anything is prescribed. Under GPhC guidance, every regulated online service must:

If the prescriber needs more detail, they message you through your account.

When an online prescriber says no

Sometimes your answers point to something that needs examining or testing first. When that happens, the prescriber tells you why and suggests seeing your GP. You're not charged for treatment that isn't issued.

It can feel disappointing in the moment. But actually, it's the system doing its job.

Your GP and discreet delivery

With your permission, we let your GP know what you've been prescribed. GPhC guidance encourages this, so your medical record stays complete.

If the treatment is approved, it's dispensed by our GPhC-registered pharmacy and sent in plain, unbranded packaging.

Here's how the two routes compare on the things men most often ask about.

Two ED tablets are sold in UK pharmacies without a prescription, after a short private chat with the pharmacist:

Both are for men aged 18 and over.

The pharmacist won't supply them if you have serious heart problems, take nitrates, or have certain other conditions.

In those cases, they'll suggest seeing a doctor.

An online consultation suits many men, but not everyone. See a doctor in person if you have:

Our guide on when to see a doctor about ED covers these in more detail.

This is where an online route can go wrong, and it's nothing to do with regulated services.

In February 2026, the MHRA reported seizing around 19.5 million doses of illegal ED medicines between 2021 and 2025.

Yearly seizures have more than doubled since 2022.

The MHRA warned that these pills can contain no active ingredient, the wrong dose, or hidden and sometimes toxic substances.

0M1M2M3M4M5M6M4.6M20211.8M20223.2M20235.5M20244.4M2025 Doses of illegal ED medicines seized by the MHRA each year, in millions. Source: MHRA, February 2026.

Before ordering from any website, check that:

Be wary of social media sellers, messaging apps, "no questions asked" offers and prices that look too good to be true.

There's no single right answer, and plenty of men use both.

A common pattern is to start online for privacy, then book a blood pressure check and blood tests with the GP.

Others start with their GP, find a treatment that suits them, then reorder online for convenience.

If anxiety is part of the picture, our guide to anxiety and ED may help, and so might our tips on talking to your partner about ED.

The most important step is the first one: Talking to a qualified professional rather than buying from an unknown website.

Our process is straightforward. From start to finish, this is what happens when you order with us:

Every price includes the prescription, the consultation, the packaging, and delivery. There are no hidden fees.