{"id":921,"date":"2024-10-18T13:46:56","date_gmt":"2024-10-18T02:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/?p=921"},"modified":"2024-12-02T11:40:20","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T11:40:20","slug":"how-to-help-your-partner-get-help-for-erectile-dysfunction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/resource\/how-to-help-your-partner-get-help-for-erectile-dysfunction\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Help Your Partner Get Help for Erectile Dysfunction\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/resource\/a-mans-guide-to-dealing-with-ed\">Erectile dysfunction (ED)<\/a>&nbsp;can interfere with a healthy sex life, which is a core need among most couples. You might suspect your partner has ED if he consistently can\u2019t maintain an erection. He probably have hinted at it himself. Regardless, the only way ED can be addressed is for him to seek help, but it can be challenging to do so. In this article, we will show you how you can be instrumental in helping your partner overcome ED.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is NOT your Fault.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, you need to understand that your partner\u2019s ED is neither your nor your partner\u2019s fault. ED is a medical condition in which a man is unable to have an erection, usually due to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/erectile-dysfunction\/atherosclerosis-and-erectile-dysfunction\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">poor blood flow<\/a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.medicalnewstoday.com\/articles\/erectile-dysfunction-nerve-damage-symptoms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nerve issues<\/a>. It\u2019s not because he\u2019s no longer attracted to you physically or that he\u2019s falling out of love.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He is just as frustrated as you about the situation and is worried that your relationship will end because of this condition. This means he is afraid to lose you. Blaming yourself or your partner is counterproductive. It just damages both of you. Instead, work on a cohesive plan to resolve ED, starting with getting your partner to seek help.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>How to Talk About ED\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The thought of bringing up ED can be daunting because it might disrupt the current peace in your relationship. But it must happen for your and your partner\u2019s sake. He needs to get treatment not only so you can enjoy yourselves in the bedroom but also because he might be suffering from a serious disease. You also deserve to have your needs met. ED doesn\u2019t have to be a dealbreaker. By working together to resolve ED, you can strengthen your relationship and deepen your intimacy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scenario 1: Partner Opened Up about ED&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Opening up about ED is not easy, especially because of the stigma surrounding the condition. For your partner to have brought it up himself, it must have taken a great deal of courage. Usually, men who have ED have been traumatised repeatedly because of it. They may have&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/going-deeper-exclusive-insights-male-health-from-mhc-kpphc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lost relationships<\/a>&nbsp;over it or received&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/22875181\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shame<\/a>&nbsp;in return. To ensure that you respond as best as you can to your partner, here are a few steps for you to take:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Practise empathy<br>Rather than jumping straight to discussing solutions, listen and empathise with your partner first. Giving your partner validation for their feelings will take the edge off the conversation. They also need it.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/how-do-life\/202004\/the-gender-gap-in-empathy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Men barely receive emotional validation<\/a>\u00a0when it comes to emotions. Responding well to their emotions will help them not to be as scared of your reaction and make them more forthcoming with information.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Discuss how ED affects you both<br>This isn\u2019t about blaming or complaining;. It\u2019s about getting to the root of the issue. Your partner knows how ED affects him physically, but he may have missed some of its other effects. For example, he may know that ED interferes with your sex life, but he may not know that he\u2019s emotionally withdrawing from you and that is making you insecure. This is a good chance to gently raise your needs and begin working together on countering the effects of ED.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reassure your partner<br>Unlike with empathy, you don\u2019t have to wait for your partner to say something to reassure them. You can proactively tell your partner that you love him, and ED is not going to change that. You can also tell him that you\u2019re going to be with him throughout the process and you\u2019re not going to start packing your bags. Even after you\u2019ve already empathised with your partner, they\u2019re probably still worried that they are about to lose you.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Research together<br>Now that you\u2019ve had a heartfelt conversation and have likely rekindled your emotional intimacy, it\u2019s time to get down to the facts. Information is your best friend when it comes to tackling ED. Research as much as you can about ED. Your partner is likely to do the same. You can even do it together or discuss your findings with each other. The goal is to practice teamwork as you educate yourselves about ED to decide your strategy or next steps.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Scenario 2: You Want to Tell Him about ED&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>So, your partner hasn\u2019t said anything, but you suspect that he has ED. How do you even bring it up to him? Should you even bring it up to him? First, you NEED to tell him. Communication is crucial in relationships. This is also both a relationship AND a health concern. But when raising something as sensitive as ED, you need a combination of tact, empathy, and logic. Here\u2019s how to effectively execute that:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Educate yourself about ED<br>Information is your best friend as mentioned in scenario 1 so begin by learning more about ED. You can start by browsing our resources so that you can familiarise yourself with medical knowledge about ED. You can even learn tips that both you and your partner can already apply before you\u2019ve even spoken to a doctor. Make sure to also learn about what\u2019s false about ED because there are many\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/resource\/debunking-common-myths-about-erectile-dysfunction\">unhelpful misconceptions<\/a>\u00a0about it.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Share your findings to your partner<br>Since you\u2019ve done your research, you are now armed with facts and ready to have the conversation. Share what you\u2019ve learned with your partner. Emphasise how important it is to get ED treated and answer any questions your partner may have. Showing him that you\u2019ve thoroughly researched this will make him feel that you care and that this is serious. It will also help him calm down if he can sense that you are being objective about it.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Talk about the gravity of ED<br>Making your partner understand that ED is serious is the most helpful thing you can do for them. Again, ED is a medical condition, meaning your partner\u2019s health is compromised as we speak. It can be psychological, but it can also be something as serious as\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5448724\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">atherosclerosis<\/a>. If atherosclerosis is untreated, it can lead to a heart attack. In fact, men may\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ahajournals.org\/doi\/10.1161\/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.017681\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">experience ED 3 years before a heart attack<\/a>\u00a0occurs.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reassure your partner<br>Regardless of what scenario you end up with, reassuring your partner is necessary. Bringing up ED will stir bad memories and can even trigger your partner\u2019s trauma. To ensure that they remain receptive to what you have to say, comfort them. Tell them how you love them and that\u2019s why you want to work on this together. Emphasise how they are not alone in this process and will not be abandoned for it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Extra: What if Partner is Uncooperative&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You might be wondering, what if he brought up ED and then didn\u2019t do anything about it? Or what if you\u2019ve brought up ED and your partner decided to avoid the topic altogether anyway? In both scenarios, your partner is feeling overwhelmed about his ED and\/or he may be overthinking how things can go wrong. To be able to help him through this, you can take the following course of action:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Give him space to process<br>He\u2019s probably feeling emotional right now or he has a lot of thoughts running on his mind. Let him process it by himself first. He needs to accept the reality of the situation before he can be ready to act. Of course, you must be reasonable to yourself with the time you\u2019re giving him. It\u2019s not fair for you to wait for a year before he\u2019s ready to do something and it\u2019s also going to be\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodrx.com\/conditions\/erectile-dysfunction\/is-there-a-cure-for-ed#:~:text=This%20can%20still%20be%20reversible,and%20possibly%20curing%20%E2%80%94%20erection%20problems.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">risky for his health to wait<\/a>\u00a0that long.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gently reopen discussion<br>This isn\u2019t something you can sidestep or postpone indefinitely. You need to talk about it. If he wasn\u2019t receptive at first, it may be because he wasn\u2019t calm yet. By following step 1, he can be in a better mental state. Make sure you also agree on an intentional time to talk. For example, rather than talking about it after a hectic and stressful Monday, you might want to talk about it on a weekend so both of you can sufficiently decompress afterwards.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use &#8220;We&#8221; and &#8220;Us&#8221;<br>Your choice of words can make a drastic difference in the outcome of your conversation. For example, constantly using \u201cyou\u201d can seem pressuring, alienating, and hostile during delicate topics or conflicts. Your partner will feel attacked and perceive the conversation as a confrontation. By switching to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2010\/01\/100128142143.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">we<\/a>\u201d and \u201cus,\u201d you can invoke a sense of togetherness.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seek a counsellor as needed<br>If he\u2019s still being defensive or apathetic about the situation, there might be more going on mentally. It may also mean that you need the help of a psychologist to mediate. By getting a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/health\/mind\/does-marriage-counseling-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">counsellor<\/a>, you can find the underlying cause of whatever is bothering him so that the discussion remains productive and does not end up in a fight. And even when discussions are going well, you can still talk to a counsellor in individual therapy to help both of you process what\u2019s going on.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What Comes Next?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ve finally had the conversation. Pat yourself on the back. It was hard and scary to bring it up, but you did it anyway. Now, you are one step closer to solving ED together. But to progress, you need to start taking decisive action. We have listed below the crucial steps you must take so you can steadily beat ED out of your life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Get checked for heart issues and diabetes<br>ED is often a symptom of a bigger health condition. The top two diseases linked to ED are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/erectile-dysfunction\/in-depth\/erectile-dysfunction\/art-20045141#:~:text=How%20are%20erectile%20dysfunction%20and,penis%2C%20making%20an%20erection%20difficult.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">heart issues<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC9286480\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">diabetes<\/a>. If your partner has not got checked for either, he must see a doctor ASAP. You can check the symptoms online but it\u2019s still better to be sure. Some people only get checked for diabetes when they already need to cut a limb. Your partner can also raise ED to his GP so they can rule out other\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/uk\/resource\/common-medical-conditions-linked-to-erectile-dysfunction\/\">underlying conditions<\/a>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Find other ways to be intimate<br>ED is usually difficult for your partner because of the bedroom. They are worried about whether they will satisfy you or not and if you will think less of them as a man. You can take the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/lifeandstyle\/2018\/oct\/18\/erectile-dysfunction-performance-anxiety-truth-modern-malaise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">pressure<\/a>\u00a0off by either finding other ways to bond with each other or adjusting your sex life. Instead of focusing on intercourse, you can try other forms of sex.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Assist him in lifestyle changes<br>Since your partner has ED, he will have to make the necessary lifestyle changes. There are various resources online about lifestyle that\u2019s tailored to a man with ED. For example, he can start consuming more\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/resource\/superfoods-that-double-as-aphrodisiacs-achieving-harder-erections-with-nutrition\">food that helps with erection<\/a>\u00a0or opt for a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/resource\/overcoming-testosterone-deficiency-with-diet\/\">diet that increases testosterone<\/a>. His doctor will also advise lifestyle adjustments for him, and you can help by holding him accountable to it while being emotionally supportive.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Get expert treatment<br>Since ED is a medical condition, you need to treat it. Often, multiple factors and diseases affect a man\u2019s erectile strength. In Men\u2019s Health Clinic (MHC), we use the multimodal approach so that we can determine and treat all the factors that are causing your partner\u2019s ED. We have nutritionists, psychologists, sex experts, and doctors that will work with you and your partner.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.as.me\/email?utm_source=website&amp;utm_medium=book_now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Book an appointment<\/a>\u00a0to begin healing from ED.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Final Thoughts\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ED can make your partner\u2019s life difficult and cause issues in your relationship, but it shouldn\u2019t stay that way. By using healthy communication and tackling the issue as a team, it is more than possible to eliminate ED. Not only will your partner regain his confidence, you will also emerge as a stronger and happier couple. And if you want to make your shared journey to ED recovery as easy as it can be, enlist the help of pros like MHC so you can focus on what matters the most\u2013 becoming closer to your partner than ever.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is NOT your Fault.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-erectile-dysfunction","category-sexual-dysfunction"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=921"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2667,"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/921\/revisions\/2667"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2668"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/menshealthclinic.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}