Dr.Joe's Data Base

"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
theImpotence 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
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