Erectile Dysfunction Is Ruining My Relationship

Jan 10, 2018 Erectile Dysfunction

Successful relationships thrive on respect, physical attraction, shared interests, humour, trust and intimacy.  When one of those elements is lacking the relationship suffers and sometimes even disintegrates.  

Erectile dysfunction is a condition affecting a man’s ability to have and maintain an erection. It is a strain on relationships because intimacy becomes negative and stressful.

Many middle-aged men suffer from erectile dysfunction at some time in their lives and it no cause for concern.  Stress, drinking too much alcohol, relationship issues, tiredness and anxiety are common causes that are easily remedied.  

Sometimes men have erectile dysfunction because they have a health condition that affects them; physically, neurologically or they have a heart condition.

Tadalafil, Sildenafil, Cialis, Spedra and Viagra are erectile dysfunction treatments.

They work by relaxing the blood vessels allowing blood to flow to the penis. Sometimes there is no cure for impotence and couples have to find ways to be intimate without penetration.

 

What Is Erectile Dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction is when a man fails to sustain an erection during intercourse.

Most of the time it is a one off incident and normal service resumes.  If the man loses his erection regularly it could be caused by an underlying health condition.

Often the main cause of impotence is due to unhealthy lifestyle choices. Physical causes of erectile dysfunction include; high cholesterol, heart conditions, hormone imbalance, neurological conditions and side effects of medical treatment.

You will be given a thorough examination by your doctor to find the cause of your impotence.  If your lifestyle is the main cause you will need to make changes such as; losing weight, drinking less, stop smoking and reduce stress.

The NHS recommends looking in to these lifestyle conditions. Talk therapy and couples counselling could help you to cope with the repercussions of erectile dysfunction.  Medication such as Tadalafil and Viagra are phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE 5).  They relax the blood vessels in the penis allowing blood to flow easily.  

This type of treatment can only be prescribed by a doctor and should be taken according to the instructions.

 

Relationship Repair

Your relationship problems won’t be fixed by taking a pill, therefore, it is important to try to work out what is going wrong.  Work, children and the mundane routines of adulthood could be sapping the energy out of your passion.  

Maybe you take each other for granted and have forgotten why you fell in love in the first place.  Familiarity breeds contempt and couples lose respect for each other poisoning the love they have for each other. Intimacy is about affection, pleasure and love not just orgasmic sex and positions from the Kama Sutra.

If you really want to make the relationship work you will not place as much importance on penetrative intercourse.  If PDE 5 treatments help you could use them to help you to have penetrative sex.  You still need to stimulate each other in order for them to work.

Sometimes the demise of a relationship is the cause of erectile dysfunction which compounds the problem further.  Couples counselling will help you to decide if it is worth continuing your relationship.  If you still love each other there is still hope and you might learn how to overcome this obstacle and repair the relationship.

By Birpal Virdee (January 2018)