Erectile Dysfunction and How It Can Affect Your Relationship
Sex is essential in a couple’s relationship. It literally binds the husband and wife to each other. During orgasm in sex, the hormone oxytocin is released in both partners. This is the love hormone that strengthens their emotional connection. All is not well in Loveland, however, if the husband suffers from erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction, or ED, is the incapacity to maintain an erection during sex. It’s actually a medical condition that may be triggered by an existing health condition. Unfortunately, the effects of ED on the couple go beyond what happens in the bedroom.
How does erectile dysfunction (ED) affect the couple’s relationship?
Table of Contents
Blaming
When the man experiences ED, and he doesn’t acknowledge the problem right away, the initial response is sometimes for him to blame his wife or partner. This happens because it is easier or “safer” to blame another person rather than confront what is possibly wrong. This could lead to endless fights that can emotionally wreak havoc on the couple.
Shame
In reality, the wife does not cause ED. But because of the blame, the wife can feel ashamed of herself. She might start feeling unattractive and no longer desirable to her husband.
It’s not only the wife who feels ashamed. The man feels it even more. Men feel that they are inadequate and weak and that they are incapable of giving their wives pleasure in the bedroom.
Low self-esteem
Both the husband and wife can suffer from low self-esteem. They both think they are not good enough for each other, even when other areas of the relationship are actually doing well.
In some cases, the wife tries to overcompensate and goes to greater lengths to seduce her husband in the hopes that doing so will help him have an erection. This, however, can have the negative intended effect. The husband will feel immense pressure to perform, and the wife will feel rejected when her tactics don’t work. Both can end up unsatisfied, frustrated, and over time exhausted.
It’s important to remember that ED is a medical condition that may not be influenced by external stimulation. Hence, the wife’s efforts may or may not solve the problem.
Loss of trust and intimacy
When a man is afflicted with ED, he tends to shut himself off and backs away from having a conversation about his condition. Not communicating about this problem can lead the couple to stop communicating with each other about the other aspects of their relationship as well.
In addition to physical intimacy, women value emotional intimacy. When the husband stops communicating with his wife, the woman loses her trust in him. Suspicions about her husband possibly having an affair can creep in, even when these are unwarranted. Aside from suspecting her husband of infidelity, a woman may start to feel emotionally unconnected to her husband. She may begin to love him less and less.
Anxiety, hurt, and anger
A wife’s suspicious attitude can hurt and anger her husband. He may feel angry at himself as well for a condition he doesn’t seem to have control over. The man will end up even pulling further away physically and emotionally from his wife.
No more sex and physical intimacy
Both partners will feel the pressure for the man to have an erection during sex. Because of this pressure, sex will lose its special meaning, and the husband and wife can end up avoiding sex altogether. The husband can also end up shying away from any form of physical intimacy, such as holding hands, back rubs, kissing, and hugging. He may feel pressured that the wife is expecting for these little acts of intimacy to lead to sex.
Stress
Sex between the husband and wife is a very relaxing activity, and science attributes this to the oxytocin released during the act. When a couple doesn’t have sex anymore, they may feel stressed in general and may even suffer from a lack of sleep.
Men don’t need to suffer in silence if they have erectile dysfunction. The relationship they have with their wives doesn’t need to suffer. There is a cure for erectile dysfunction. The journey towards healing starts with the husband and wife having an open conversation about the condition and consulting with a medical practitioner. Getting the necessary medical help can go a long way in repairing and strengthening the relationship.
