Is there a test for ED? Questionnaires, blood tests, ultrasound and at-home kits explained

In short: no blood test or scan gives a yes or no answer for erectile dysfunction. ED is identified from what you report, and the tests exist to measure how much it affects you and to look for what is behind it. The American Urological Association (AUA) guideline recommends validated questionnaires to gauge severity, a morning total testosterone level for men with ED, and specialist tests such as ultrasound only for some men (AUA Erectile Dysfunction Guideline). This page explains each test by name, what at-home kits and online quizzes can and cannot tell you, and when testing is worth a conversation with a clinician. It is educational information, not medical advice.

Is there a test for ED?

There is no single test that confirms ED on its own. Health care professionals, including urologists, use your medical, sexual and mental health history, a physical exam, and lab and other tests to diagnose it, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK, Diagnosis of ED). The AUA’s first guideline statement says the same: a thorough history, a physical exam and selective laboratory testing (AUA Guideline, Statement 1).

So the “test” most men take first is a set of questions. The lab work and scans that follow are mainly about cause: whether blood flow, hormones, nerves, medicines or stress are playing a part. Our step-by-step guide to how ED is diagnosed walks through the full appointment, and if you are unsure whether you are at that point yet, our guide on when to see a doctor about ED covers the signs worth acting on.

What are the names of the tests for erectile dysfunction?

The tests you are most likely to hear named fall into four groups: questionnaires, blood tests, imaging, and erection tests. The table below lists each one with what it measures and who usually gets it.

Sources for the table: the AUA guideline and its journal version (AUA Guideline, J Urol 2018), NIDDK (NIDDK, Diagnosis of ED), and the questionnaire papers cited in the sections below.

What are the IIEF-5 and SHIM questionnaires?

The IIEF-5 and the SHIM are the same short questionnaire: five questions about erections and sexual satisfaction that you answer yourself. It was developed as an abridged, five-item version of the 15-item International Index of Erectile Function to diagnose the presence and severity of ED, and its five items focus on erectile function and intercourse satisfaction (Rosen et al., Int J Impot Res 1999). Its developers have published under both names: IIEF-5 in the 1999 development paper and Sexual Health Inventory for Men in a 2005 review (Rosen et al., 1999; Cappelleri and Rosen, Int J Impot Res 2005). The AUA notes the SHIM is sometimes called the IIEF-5 because it uses five of the six questions in the full IIEF’s erectile function section (AUA Guideline, J Urol 2018).

Scores run from 5 to 25. In the development study of 1,152 men, a cutoff of 21 separated men with and without ED best, and severity was split into five levels from none to severe (Rosen et al., 1999). A later study using the IIEF-5 listed those bands as follows (Rhoden et al., Int J Impot Res 2002):

A 2005 review described the SHIM as widely used for screening and diagnosis of ED and of its severity, in both clinical practice and research (Cappelleri and Rosen, 2005). The AUA names the SHIM, alongside the Erection Hardness Score, as an example of a validated questionnaire, and notes that filling one in can be a way to start the conversation about ED (AUA Guideline, J Urol 2018). A score describes how much trouble you are having. It does not say why.

What does the full IIEF measure?

The full International Index of Erectile Function is a 15-item, self-administered questionnaire that covers five areas of sexual function: erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction and overall satisfaction. Its 1997 validation paper reported it was reliable, had been linguistically validated in 10 languages, and could detect changes after treatment (Rosen et al., Urology 1997).

That breadth is the point. Because it asks about desire and orgasm separately from erections, it helps separate a change in interest from a change in firmness. Its erectile function section is also the measure many ED medicine trials report, which is why you see “IIEF-EF” scores in the AUA guideline’s treatment tables (AUA Erectile Dysfunction Guideline).

What is the Erection Hardness Score?

The Erection Hardness Score is a single question that rates how hard an erection is. A 2007 validation study described it as a one-item, patient-reported measure that was reliable, told apart men with normal and impaired erectile function as defined by the IIEF, and responded strongly to treatment (Mulhall et al., J Sex Med 2007).

The study was built on data from a sildenafil trial, and its authors supported the score mainly as a tool for clinical trials research. In practice it is a quick way to put a number on one thing, hardness, and to compare it before and after a change. Like the IIEF-5, it measures a symptom, not its cause.

Can you take an erectile dysfunction test online?

Yes, in the sense that many online ED quizzes ask questions like those on the validated questionnaires, and the IIEF itself was designed to be self-administered (Rosen et al., 1997). What an online quiz can give you is an estimate of how often and how badly erections are a problem. That matches what the AUA says questionnaires are for: assessing severity, measuring how well treatment works and guiding later management (AUA Guideline, Statement 2).

What a quiz cannot do is find the cause. The AUA guideline treats ED as a risk marker for underlying cardiovascular disease and other conditions that may warrant evaluation (AUA Guideline, Statement 3), and no set of answers on a screen replaces the exam and blood work that look for those. A quiz score is a reasonable thing to bring to an appointment. It is not a result to act on alone. Our guide to the symptoms of erectile dysfunction covers how to tell a pattern from an off night.

Is there an erectile dysfunction test at home?

There is no at-home kit that diagnoses ED, but some parts of testing can happen at home. MedlinePlus says testosterone can sometimes be checked with an at-home kit that collects a blood or saliva sample for a lab, and advises talking to your provider first and following their instructions for collecting and returning it (MedlinePlus, Testosterone Levels Test). The same page adds that a testosterone result alone cannot diagnose any health condition.

Nighttime erection testing can also happen at home. NIDDK says a nocturnal erection test checks for erections during the night, can help show whether ED is due to a physical problem, and may be done at home or in a sleep lab (NIDDK, Diagnosis of ED). MedlinePlus lists a device worn at night as one option a provider may use (MedlinePlus, Erection problems), and has an illustrated page on the nocturnal penile tumescence (NPT) stamp test (MedlinePlus, Erection self-test). A 2020 perspective article described the RigiScan Plus device as the gold standard for measuring nocturnal erections, while noting it is relatively big and uncomfortable (Edgar et al., Int J Impot Res 2020). The AUA says specialized tests like this should only happen if the findings will affect management, and should be done by an experienced examiner who is familiar with interpreting the results. It also notes that having nighttime or morning erections suggests, but does not confirm, a psychological component, so they are worth mentioning at the visit rather than treating as a verdict (AUA Guideline, J Urol 2018).

Two general cautions apply to any home test. The FDA says home use tests should not replace periodic visits to your doctor, and that most tests are best evaluated together with your medical history, a physical exam and other testing (FDA, Home Use Tests). MedlinePlus advises using only FDA-approved or FDA-authorized test kits and following up with your provider whatever the result (MedlinePlus, At-Home Medical Tests).

Which blood tests are used for ED?

The one blood test the AUA recommends for men with ED is a morning serum total testosterone level (AUA Guideline, Statement 4). The guideline measures it to check for testosterone deficiency, which it defines as total testosterone below 300 ng/dL together with symptoms and signs, and it asks for at least two morning measurements before making that diagnosis, so a low number by itself is not the diagnosis (AUA Guideline, J Urol 2018). Morning matters because, as MedlinePlus explains, the sample is usually taken between 7 and 10 a.m., when testosterone levels are typically highest (MedlinePlus, Testosterone Levels Test). Our page on ED and low testosterone explains how the two conditions overlap and differ.

Other blood tests are chosen case by case. The AUA says that, with the possible exception of testosterone, blood sugar (glucose or hemoglobin A1c) and, in some cases, blood fats (lipids), no routine blood test is likely to change how ED is managed, though blood tests can still shed light on the cause and reveal other conditions (AUA Guideline, J Urol 2018). NIDDK lists thyroid tests and prostate tests among the blood tests a clinician may use to look for a cause (NIDDK, Diagnosis of ED), and MedlinePlus adds that urine or blood tests can check for conditions such as diabetes, heart problems or low testosterone (MedlinePlus, Erection problems). Our guide to hormones and ED covers the thyroid side.

Normal blood results do not rule out ED. They narrow down what is, and is not, contributing.

What is penile ultrasound?

Penile ultrasound is an imaging test that shows how blood flows through the penis, which is how NIDDK describes its role in finding the cause of ED (NIDDK, Diagnosis of ED). MedlinePlus likewise lists ultrasound of the penis to check for blood flow problems among the tests a provider may use (MedlinePlus, Erection problems).

The AUA calls the version used for ED penile duplex ultrasound. It notes that the scan may be combined with an intracavernosal injection, a medicine injected into the penis in the office, to give a more detailed and measured picture of how the penis’s blood vessels respond (AUA Guideline, J Urol 2018). It is one of the specialized tests the AUA says may be needed for some men with ED, generally those who present with complex histories, rather than a routine first step (AUA Guideline, Statement 5). Other specialized tests the guideline discusses include nocturnal penile tumescence and rigidity testing, the injection test on its own, biothesiometry (a test of nerve sensitivity), cavernosometry and selective internal pudendal angiography (AUA Guideline, J Urol 2018).

When should you talk to a clinician about testing?

Talk to a clinician when erection trouble keeps coming back. MedlinePlus suggests seeing a provider if you have trouble getting or keeping an erection more than 25% of the time, and contacting one if the problem began after an injury or prostate surgery or comes with symptoms such as low back pain, abdominal pain or a change in urination (MedlinePlus, Erection problems).

There is also a reason beyond the bedroom. The AUA says men should be told that ED is a risk marker for underlying cardiovascular disease and other health conditions that may warrant evaluation and treatment (AUA Guideline, Statement 3). A risk marker raises the odds of a condition; it is not a diagnosis of one. Which tests make sense for you is a decision for a licensed clinician. Our guide on how to bring up ED with a doctor covers what to say and what to bring, including any questionnaire score you have already worked out.

Sources

Every clinical statement on this page traces to a primary, guideline or government source:

• Burnett AL, et al. Erectile Dysfunction: AUA Guideline. J Urol 2018;200:633. Questionnaire examples (Erection Hardness Score, Sexual Health Inventory for Men, also called the IIEF-5), the laboratory discussion (testosterone, glucose or hemoglobin A1c, lipids in some cases, the 300 ng/dL definition with symptoms and signs, at least two morning measurements), and the specialized tests, including duplex ultrasound combined with injection, who should perform them, and what nighttime or morning erections suggest: auajournals.org, AUA ED guideline
• American Urological Association, Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Guideline (2018), web version. Guideline Statements 1 to 5 and the IIEF-EF treatment tables: auanet.org, ED guideline
• NIDDK, Diagnosis of Erectile Dysfunction, last reviewed October 2024. History, exam, blood tests including thyroid and prostate tests, ultrasound of penile blood flow, the nocturnal erection test at home or in a sleep lab, and the injection test: niddk.nih.gov, ED diagnosis
• Rosen RC, et al. The International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF): a multidimensional scale for assessment of erectile dysfunction. Urology 1997;49:822. Fifteen items, five domains, self-administered, validated in 10 languages, sensitive to treatment: PubMed 9187685
• Rosen RC, et al. Development and evaluation of an abridged, 5-item version of the IIEF (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool for erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 1999;11:319. Five items, scores 5 to 25, cutoff of 21, five severity levels, 1,152 men: PubMed 10637462
• Rhoden EL, et al. The use of the simplified IIEF-5 as a diagnostic tool to study the prevalence of erectile dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 2002;14:245. The five IIEF-5 severity bands: PubMed 12152112
• Cappelleri JC, Rosen RC. The Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM): a 5-year review of research and clinical experience. Int J Impot Res 2005;17:307. Use for screening and diagnosis of ED and its severity: PubMed 15875061
• Mulhall JP, et al. Validation of the Erection Hardness Score. J Sex Med 2007;4:1626. A one-item, patient-reported hardness measure: PubMed 17888069
• Edgar R, et al. New methods for the monitoring of nocturnal erections. Int J Impot Res 2022;34:1 (online 2020). Perspective article; RigiScan Plus as the gold standard for nocturnal erection measurement: PubMed 33087873
• MedlinePlus, Erection problems, reviewed October 2025. The 25% guidance, when to contact a provider, and the tests a provider may use: medlineplus.gov, erection problems
• MedlinePlus, Erection self-test (NPT stamp test), reviewed October 2025: medlineplus.gov, erection self-test
• MedlinePlus, Testosterone Levels Test. Morning sampling, at-home kits, and the limits of a single result: medlineplus.gov, testosterone test
• MedlinePlus, At-Home Medical Tests. FDA-approved or authorized kits and follow-up with a provider: medlineplus.gov, at-home tests
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Home Use Tests. Home tests do not replace visits and are best read with history, exam and other testing: fda.gov, home use tests