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 "Other Side" of ImpotenceWhat Women Think:
New Survey Explores "Other
Side of Impotence"
-Sixty-five Percent of Women are Unaware of Treatment
OptionsAccording to a national survey conducted under the
auspices of
the Impotence Institute of America (IIA), a majority of adult
American
womenare happy with their sex lives and expect to be sexually
active,
onaverage, to age 75. Yet many of these women may find their
sexualexpectations unmet, in part because of male impotence
which affects
abouthalf of all men by age 70.While impotence can thwart
sexual
expectations of the woman, the surveyfound 80 percent of
women surveyed
whose partner has experienced impotencehad not encouraged
their partner
to seek help. They didn't believe thattheir partner could be
helped by
treatment. In fact, 65 percent of thewomen surveyed were
unaware of any
available treatment options forimpotence.The IIA survey,
released in
connection with Impotence Awareness Month(September), was
sponsored by an
educational grant from The Upjohn Company.The phone survey
explored the
sexual behavior, knowledge and
attitudes ofadult women (18-50+) toward male impotence and
its potential
effect ontheir sexual relationships.Sexual Longevity and
ImpotenceEighty
percent of the women surveyed consider sex to be an important
partof
their lives, while 83 percent indicated they are satisfied
with
theircurrent sexual relationship. In addition, the survey
found that as a
womanages she expects herself to be sexually active longer.
Middle age
(35-49)and older women (50+) expect that they will be
sexually active
until theyare about 80 years old, while younger women (18-34)
see
themselves sexuallyactive only to age 70.As women grow older,
however,
their expectations for continued sexualactivity in their 60s,
70s and 80s
may not be fully realized because of therising incidence of
impotence
among aging males.According to J. Francois Eid, M.D.,
director of the
Erectile DysfunctionUnit at The New York Hospital-Cornell
Medical Center,
the age when a manmay begin to experience erection difficulty
is
unpredictable, but theincidence increases rapidly for men in
their
mid-50s. By age 70, it isexpected that at least half of the
male
population will experience someerectile
difficulties."Women should
understand the relationship between aging and impotence
sothat they are
prepared, should their partner ever experience
erectiledifficulties,"
said Dr. Eid. "The most important thing for a couple
toremember is that
impotence is treatable at any age."According to Eid,
between 10 and 20
million men in the U.S. suffer fromsome degree of erectile
dysfunction,
commonly known as impotence. However,only one in 20 men with
erectile
problems seeks medical attention. Eidbelieves the lack of
action may be
caused by embarrassment and/or lack ofknowledge about the
condition and
treatment options.Responding To ImpotenceFor those women
whose partners
have experienced impotence, most reportedthat they felt
"frustration" (41
percent) and to a lesser extent"disappointment" (29
percent) and
"rejection" (18 percent). A significantnumber of
women (40 percent)
reported that they felt some responsibilityfor their
partner's problem,
which, according to Eid, is not uncommon."Until
recently, many medical
experts believed impotence was caused bymental or emotional
conflicts,"
said Eid. "Today, experts believe that upto 80 percent
of all cases may
be due to physical conditions, withpsychological factors
accounting for
the remaining 20 percent."Impotence can result from
complications of
chronic conditions such ascoronary artery disease, high
cholesterol
levels, high blood pressure anddiabetes mellitus. Side
effects of
surgery, medication and psychologicalinfluences are also
associated with
impotence, as are lifestyle factorssuch as a high-fat diet,
drug abuse,
excessive alcohol consumption andsmoking.Coping with an
Impotent
Partner"Women play an integral role in the successful
treatment of
impotence andthis survey justifies the need for greater
impotence
education
andawareness among women," said Eid. The study revealed
that partners of
olderwomen (50+) were more likely (14 percent) than the
partners of
younger ormiddle-aged women to have ever experienced
impotence. Of those
women whosepartner has never experienced impotence, nearly
half (45
percent) believethat it would cause at least some problems in
their
relationship.Among women whose partner has never experienced
impotence,
most said theywould address the problem directly, rather than
ignore it.
Actions citedmost frequently by respondents for dealing with
impotence
include talkingwith
their partner (56 percent), seeking professional counselling
(47percent), or thinking of creative new ways to explore
intimacy
(42percent).Marion Parker, president of the IIA, which
operates the
support groupImpotents Anonymous and I-ANON for partners,
says that more
than half ofall calls received on the IIA toll-free hotline
come from
women. "Women arebeginning to assume a larger
role in the treatment of impotence," saidParker adding,
"their growing
involvement makes successful treatment morelikely for their
partners."According to the survey, only a small number
(4 percent) of
women wouldconsider extreme measures in dealing with their
partner's
impotence, whichincludes terminating the relationship or
initiating
sexual relationsoutside of the relationship. Most women
surveyed (72
percent) agree thatimpotence is a "couple's
problem.""Because impotence
is a concern shared by both men and their partners,
it'simportant that
they seek medical advice and treatment as a couple,"
saysEid. "Couples
who work together are much more likely to find a
mutuallysatisfying
treatment for impotence."Impotence Treatment
OptionsAccording to Eid, men
and their partners now have effective treatmentchoices that
weren't
available in the past. The newest form of therapy forerectile
dysfunction
is a small-needle injection into the side of the peniswith
Caverject
Sterile Powder (alprostadil for injection), which
isreconstituted with
sterile water prior to administration. This is the firstand
only approved
medication currently available for the treatment oferectile
dysfunction.
Caverject has an effectiveness rate of more than 80percent.
The most
common side effect of the medication is mild to moderatepain
that occurs
in about a third of men and is usually well tolerated.Other
recommended
treatment options noted by Eid include lifestyle
changes,vacuum devices
and penile implants. Regardless of the option
selected, manyexperts see counseling as helpful to many in
the treatment
process."The IIA can provide men and their partners with
information on
supportgroups, treatment options and medical specialists in
their area."
saidParker. "We pride ourselves on helping men and their
partners deal
with theimpotence treatment process."Founded in 1983 by
Bruce and Eileen
MacKenzie, the IIA is a non-profit,non-vested health
association
dedicated to supporting men affected byimpotence, the
physicians and
clinics who treat
them and manufacturerswhose products help impotent men.
Affiliated with
the IIA are ImpotentsAnonymous and I-ANON, a national network
of over 50
support groups forsuffers and their partners.The Institute
also provides
a toll-free "Help-Line", available to anyoneseeking
information about
impotence.
Consumers can call 1-(800) 669-1603 toreceive additional
literature on
impotence and information on local supportgroups
meetings.----------------------------------------------------------------
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November 13, 1996
20:01 +0000

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