Men, problems performing in the bedroom could be a sign you need to have your heart checked.

Research recently published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association finds patients with erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease were twice as likely to die of a heart attack. The study confirms ED is a strong predictor of heart disease. According to lead author Dr. Michael Böhm, men should consider it a risk factor just like high blood pressure or cholesterol.

Dr. Chris Steidle of highly rated Northeast Indiana Urology in Fort Wayne, Ind., and co-author of "Sex and the Heart," says men diagnosed with ED should insist on being screened for heart disease since ED demonstrates blood flow issues.

"It's the first place that you're going to see symptoms," he says. "It's the canary in the coal mine."