Women today more ED-ucated

By PAUL CHOO

KUALA LUMPUR: More women are seeking help on erectile dysfunction (ED) compared to men, according to andrologist Dr Mohd Ismail Tambi.

He said over the past few years more women had approached him for information on the condition.

“I am not surprised,” said the clinical andrologist.

“Whenever a woman’s partner has ED, she can relate to the problem.

“Ultimately, their ego could be seriously affected as well,” he said during a question-and-answer session at a forum on ED among men. It was organised by the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN).

Elaborating, Dr Mohd Ismail said women would question why their partners would, at some point in life, be unable to “get it up”.

He said that to certain extremes, they would wonder if they were no longer attractive or able to arouse their partners.

“In a worse-case scenario, if both husband and wife do not talk about it, the latter would even harbour thoughts that her husband was cheating on her because of the lack of interest in intercourse.

“These are just examples, but it is for such concerns that women have shown an increasing interest in ED, mainly because they want to help their other halves,” said Dr Mohd Ismail, who is also an adviser at LPPKN.

He said ego was the reason most men were reluctant to address the issue. It was, thus, important, he said, for women to understand their partners and encourage them to seek help.

“It has been said over and over again that ED can be treated and cured. A recent survey showed that some 3.8 million Malaysian men above the age of 40 have ED, not to mention those below that age,” he said.

He said that some women have even told him that their husbands were “once-a-month” men.

“When all is said and done, women should always remember that it is not their fault, and instead explore how their partner’s mindset works especially in their older age,” he said.