Women want men to be educated about ED: Survey
July 25, 2006

A recent study regarding male impotence, conducted in Qatar and other GCC states among female respondents revealed, a whopping 97 per cent of married women advocate a stronger information campaign to raise awareness about erectile dysfunction (ED) among men. The study was conducted by the international medical firm, Eli Lilly since ED affects one tenth of the male population in this region.

The survey was conducted as part of a study to evaluate women's perception on the sexual aspect of a relationship and their knowledge about possible sex-related obstacles and challenges in the future. The survey samples included married women of different origins and age living in the countries of the GCC. Eli Lilly manufacture Cialis, a drug used to treat ED.

The surveyed women's openness and knowledge about the illness is fuelled largely by the adverse effects of the disease on women, as much as it affects men. The painful distress a woman experiences when her man suffers from erectile dysfunction is often underestimated. However, women are more willing to talk about the health issue, while most men feel rather reluctant and embarrassed to discuss the health problem with their partner or even a doctor, a press release issued by the firm, said here yesterday.

"A whopping 73 per cent showed that women are more receptive towards treatment believing that medication can restore the sexual aspect of a relationship in case partner suffers from impotence. Therefore, increasingly popular medications provide an advanced treatment for erectile dysfunction that enables them to achieve successful intercourse within 30 minutes, irrespective of food intake. Its 36-hour effectiveness frees patients to live a normal sexual life and choose the right moment for intimacy without the constraints of pre-planning. This is particularly relevant to working partners who work most of the day and don't have enough time to plan," said Dr Debashish Sengupta, an urologist from the region, who was involved with the study.

In the last couple of years there has been an increasing recognition that erectile dysfunction is a major health problem; yet only few researchers have investigated the female side of dealing with the disease. Hence, the survey found that females should not be ignored when raising awareness about ED. Although 62 per cent of the interviewed women think that sexual activity deteriorates with age, a surprising 46 per cent of the same respondents feel that they are no longer attractive enough when their partners start losing interest in sexual activity.

Psychiatrist Dr Mohamed Sameh believes that a healthy dialogue between couples is essential to surmounting the physiological and psychological impact of ED on men and women. "Without a doubt, ED has a severe impact on men, but women are also adversely affected because they feel they are less appealing to their partners. An important realization from this survey is the openness of women to discuss ED with their partners, because it is a disease that will be better addressed if both parties are working together."

Knowing about the existence of erectile dysfunction will help women shift their perspectives towards the disease and consider reasons other than self blame. More importantly, they can help their partners get treatment, and together resolve marital issues directly and indirectly caused by ED.

"If there is one clear message that this survey is saying on behalf of women, it is the fact that they would willingly talk to their partner and influence his decision to seek professional consultation if he admits having ED. This is great news for all the men suffering from ED who are reluctant to even discuss the problem with their partner," said, Dr Sengupta.

Source: http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=
Local_News&month=July2006&file=Local_News2006072534223.xml