Impact of Erectile Dysfunction to Relationships
Erectile dysfunction is a common sexual dysfunction, which occurs in one in every ten men. Also called “impotence” the inability of a man to start and maintain an erection prevents a male person from starting or completing sexual intercourse.
Erectile dysfunction can have a tremendous effect on one’s relationship resulting from a sense of loss or inadequateness making communication and affection rather difficult. When not properly addressed, the difficulty to have an erection can result in a psychological depression well as failed relationships.
The initial impact of an erectile dysfunction among men is embarrassment and guilt. Not being able to have or maintain an erection leaves a deep sense of loss or inadequateness in not being able to perform a biologically exacted function that has something to do with either social perceptions of manhood or one’s expected masculinity or sexual identity.
Sometimes the embarrassment goes deeper that a person with erectile dysfunction would refuse to talk about it and cause a communication gap with his partner. When the partner’s sexual or affective needs are not met without knowing his erectile difficulty, she experiences a sense of emptiness or worthlessness.
This sense of emptiness or worthlessness on the part of the woman and the embarrassment and guilt on the part of the man can cause serious loss of intimacy and contribute to the instability of the relationship.
But it is not only the sexual relationship that is at stake when a man suffers from erectile dysfunction. The absence of sexual intimacy can result in the loss of personal intimacy and affection and if aggravated, it can end up in conflict and misunderstanding. Failure to start or complete sexual intercourse can eventually cause a man to stop having sex altogether.
On the other hand, if the partner does not understand the condition of her husband, she would start to believe that the man is starting to lose interest in her. In this way, erectile dysfunction affects mutual trust and intimacy as well as diminishes self-esteem and creates feelings of unattractiveness.
Feelings of frustration and humiliation is also common among men with erectile dysfunction can lead to personal devastation and loneliness of both man and woman because of the inability to fulfill their sexual as well as affective needs.
Men with erectile dysfunction need more emotional support from their partner. Giving physical signs of assurance and emotional support can help compensate with the emotional emptiness and sexual gap in order to prevent the couple from gradually separating themselves not only physically but furthermore even physically.
By dealing together the problem of erectile dysfunction can address problems of self-esteem and mutual trust and enable them to have an enriching relationship.
Relationship problems resulting from erectile difficulties can properly be addressed with the help of a marriage counselor. Since compensating sexual difficulties with acts of empathy or affection may not be enough, seeking medical treatment and medications like Viagra can be helpful in order for the couple to have a healthy sexual life.
But it is important to take note that Viagra does not treat erectile dysfunction but it only allows the man in getting and maintaining an erection temporarily and it is far more important to deal more maturely and openly about other emotional or relationship problems.
Nevertheless, every opportunity to have a normal sexual act, even with the help of medication like Viagra can do a lot in order to restore romance and enrich a couple’s relationship. With open communication and mutual understanding, erectile dysfunction may not have to spell the end of a sexual relationship after all.
Viagra in Women
Since its introduction in the late 1990s by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, Inc., Viagra, a pill used to allow erectile ability in persons experiencing erectile dysfunction, has been an overnight medical phenomenon. This drug which contains Sildenafil allows a person to have an erection by enhancing the natural process that leads to a penile erection. When sexually aroused, specific tissues in the penis begin to relax allowing for an increased blood flow into the penis and once fully inflated, it becomes erected. Viagra helps this natural process by increasing the amount of the chemical that allows the tissues to relax and improves the level of blood flow into the penis.
Although it was originally tested for men and used to remedy male erectile dysfunction, recent studies, especially those undertaken by Centre for Sexological Research in the University of Catania in Italy, shows that Viagra might also help women who are probably experiencing a similar case of sexual dysfunction, that of the inability of women to achieve enough sexual excitement or to maintain sexual arousal during sexual intercourse. This recent development contradicts earlier studies that concluded that the drug resulted in little improvement among women who took the drug.
Recent studies shows that in the same way that the occurrence of sexual dysfunction is higher among women than among men, use of Viagra by women can help improve chances of sexual arousal and the ability to reach orgasm. In men, Viagra works by improving blood flow to the penis. Since the penis and the clitoris are parallel genital organs, the clitoris can be stimulated the same way the penis achieves erection especially since an erect clitoris is important in achieving female orgasm.
But conclusive studies on the use of Viagra among women still have a long way to go. While continued use of Viagra has make significant improvements of genital lubrication, female orgasm and clitoral sensation even among postmenopausal women, several of them also reported clitoral discomfort and hypersensivity in the female genitalia resulting in little significant improvement in the sexual function. One specific problem, for example is pelvic congestion which is analogous to a painful prolonged erection among men and a common side effect in some men taking Viagra. Despite this however, prospects for female use of Viagra remain promising as ways to reduce side effects are now being explored in order to heighten the sexual ability of women.
The use of Viagra among women however remains controversial. Those who are against female use of Viagra believes that women are not only physiological different but also psychological unlike men in their sexuality considering that what mean want and desire and what feels good to them are different from what men want and desire. Female sexuality is considered to be a lot more complex than the male sexual system.
Earlier in 2006, Pfizer, the make of Viagra, announced that it was ending its research on the use of Viagra among women. But this did not prevent other research institutes from pursuing studies on use of Viagra among women and other means to heighten the experience of sexual pleasure among woman.