This is a deliberately provocative title. A more accurate heading would be: Does improving a man's erectile dysfunction improve his partner's sexual satisfaction?
The intuitive response is that it should. If a man's problem is reduced, confidence, frequency and performance could be expected to improve, resulting in the couple's greater enjoyment of sex and the woman being more satisfied with this aspect of their relationship.
But sexual function does not work in straight lines. For example, when a man experiences erectile dysfunction (ED), he may be embarrassed or fear ridicule and withdraw, starting a series of events in his partner's mind about self-blame or being unattractive which can reduce her confidence or may arouse suspicions of unfaithfulness. Because the age at which men seek aid for ED is about 58 years and their partners' age about 54 years, these events are likely to coincide with her menopause with its attendant loss of libido and physical symptoms.
For these reasons, research is complex in the field of women's satisfaction from sildenafil (Viagra ® - Pfizer) treatment of men. However, Heiman et al (BJOG 2007;114:437-47) were able to carry out such a study comparing sildenafil with placebo and measuring the woman's perception of outcomes. Unsurprisingly, provided the woman had no dysfunction herself, her satisfaction with their sexual relationship improved significantly if he received sildenafil compared with those whose partners received the placebo. The scores were better for overall satisfaction as well as more detailed questions probing erectile function, orgasmic function, libido, arousal and intercourse satisfaction.
Side effects in the men were infrequent and mild to moderate. Maybe the manufacturers can add another side-effect - increased partner satisfaction?
