How to Talk to Your Partner about Erectile Dysfunction

This is a tough situation for everyone involved. Erectile Dysfunction (ED, or impotence) is a condition whereby men are unable to perform sexually due to an inability to achieve or maintain an erection. When ED enters a relationship, it can take a serious toll on both partners, emotionally and physically.

Here are some tips that will help you speak to your partner about ED.

Encourage treatment.
Remind him that there are loads of ED treatments on the market with proven effectiveness for men with ED of varying degrees. If one medication doesn’t work, another is bound to. You can show additional support by offering to go to the doctor with him.

Make sure he knows he’s not alone.
ED is extremely common and has nothing to do with masculinity, strength, or sexiness. Let him know that you are there for him, no matter what, and that you know that it has nothing to do with attraction or desire for you. Lots of guys worry that their partner will be offended or hurt; assure him that you are neither and that you only want what’s best for him and for you, as a couple

Support him.
Lifestyle changes can have an adverse affect on male potency. Encourage him to stop smoking, to eat a healthy diet, and to start exercising regularly. It could be that just a simple change of habit will do the trick to get him aroused and back to his normal hard ons.

Don’t forget about yourself.
Impotence is psychologically more difficult for the guy who it affects, but that doesn’t mean that it’s no big deal for you. Make sure you are able to discuss your own feelings and frustrations with the situation as well. Be sure, however, that you stay positive, lay off the blame, and work towards a solution, not just him, but for you too.