The SHIM scores erectile dysfunction on a 5-to-25 scale, and lower means more severe. A total of 22 to 25 is no ED, 17 to 21 is mild, 12 to 16 is mild to moderate, 8 to 11 is moderate, and 5 to 7 is severe. It is a starting point for a clinician, not a diagnosis on its own, and new or sudden ED is worth having evaluated because it can be an early sign of heart or metabolic disease.
The Sexual Health Inventory for Men, or SHIM, is a short, validated questionnaire that turns something hard to describe into a single number. It is the same five-question tool, also known as the IIEF-5, that clinicians use to size up erectile dysfunction and to check whether treatment is working. This page runs that questionnaire and its published scoring so you can see where you stand before you talk to anyone.
What your score means
Each of the five questions is answered from 1 to 5, and the answers add up to a total between 5 and 25. A higher total means better erectile function, so the scale runs the opposite way from most severity scores: the lower your number, the more significant the symptoms. The published cut-offs sort that total into five bands.
| Total score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 22–25 | No erectile dysfunction |
| 17–21 | Mild ED |
| 12–16 | Mild to moderate ED |
| 8–11 | Moderate ED |
| 5–7 | Severe ED |
The band is a conversation starter, not a verdict. A clinician still weighs your history, your other health conditions, and the medications you take before deciding what, if anything, to treat. The number is most useful as a baseline: repeat the questionnaire after a few weeks of treatment and a rising score is one of the clearest signs that it is helping.
When ED is a signal, not just a symptom
Erections depend on healthy blood flow, so the arteries that supply the penis and the arteries that supply the heart tend to run into trouble together. That connection is why new or worsening erectile dysfunction can show up years before high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease are diagnosed any other way. A low SHIM score, especially if it changed recently, is a good reason to see a clinician who can look at the whole picture rather than treating the symptom alone.
See a clinician promptly, in person, rather than relying on this tool, if:
- Your ED started suddenly, or came on with chest pain, pressure, or shortness of breath
- It followed pelvic or prostate surgery, an injury, or a new medication
- You also have symptoms like extreme fatigue, loss of body hair, or shrinking testicles, which can point to a hormone problem
- Medication you have already tried is not working, or you have a heart condition that limits what you can safely take
These situations need a clinician's evaluation, and sometimes bloodwork or a cardiac check, rather than a self-scored questionnaire.
How this is calculated
The tool reproduces the SHIM (IIEF-5) exactly as published by Rosen and colleagues in 1999, the abridged five-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function. Each question is scored from 1 to 5, and the five answers are summed for a total of 5 to 25, which is then read against the severity bands above. Nothing is weighted or adjusted; it is a plain sum, matching the version used in clinics and in research. The calculation happens in your browser, so your answers never leave your device, and the result is an educational estimate rather than the clinical assessment a diagnosis needs.
Common questions
Yes. The SHIM (Sexual Health Inventory for Men) and the IIEF-5 are the same validated 5-question tool, drawn from the longer International Index of Erectile Function. Clinicians use it to gauge how severe erectile dysfunction is and to track whether treatment is helping. This calculator reproduces the questionnaire and its published scoring exactly, so your result matches what you would get in a clinic.
Your five answers add up to a total between 5 and 25, and a lower total means more severe symptoms: 22 to 25 is no erectile dysfunction, 17 to 21 is mild, 12 to 16 is mild to moderate, 8 to 11 is moderate, and 5 to 7 is severe. The band is a starting point for a conversation, not a diagnosis on its own. A clinician still weighs your history, medications, and health before deciding what to do.
Sometimes, yes. ED shares its plumbing with the heart, so new or worsening erection problems can be an early signal of high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease, sometimes years before other symptoms appear. That is why a low score is worth a clinician's review rather than only a prescription. If your ED came on suddenly, or comes with chest pain or pressure, get evaluated in person.
Often, yes. For most men, a licensed clinician can review your symptoms and health history and send a proven medication like sildenafil or tadalafil to your pharmacy, frequently the same day. Some situations, like ED after prostate surgery, a possible cardiac cause, or medication that is not working, need an in-person visit first.
No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are scored on your own device and nothing you tap is sent to Vyta.co or saved anywhere. It is an educational estimate, not a medical record.
- Rosen RC, et al. (Int J Impot Res). Development and evaluation of an abridged, 5-item version of the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) as a diagnostic tool for erectile dysfunction (1999)
- NIDDK (NIH). Erectile Dysfunction (ED)
- MedlinePlus. Erectile Dysfunction
- American Urological Association. Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Guideline (2018)