Objective: To investigate the effect of improvement in erectile dysfunction (ED) on sexual function and satisfaction measures in heterosexual couples in which the woman reports that sexual intercourse is unsatisfactory at least half of the time.
Design: Multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Setting: Outpatient medical clinics.
Population: Hundred and eighty men with ED and their female partners in whom sexual intercourse was satisfactory about half the time or less (score of < or =3 on the Female Partner of ED Subject Questionnaire question 3 [FePEDS Q3]).
Methods: Men were randomised to flexible-dose sildenafil (25, 50, and 100 mg) or placebo as needed for 12 weeks.
Main outcome measures: Primary: FePEDS Q3 ('Over the past four weeks, when you had sexual intercourse, how often was it satisfactory for you?') scored as 0 (no sexual activity) and 1 (almost never or never) to 5 (almost always or always). Secondary, partners: Sexual Function Questionnaire, Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and ED Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS) partner version (EDITS-Partner). Secondary, men: International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), General Efficacy Questions, event log data, Self-Esteem And Relationship questionnaire, and EDITS. Secondary, partners and men: Dyadic Adjustment Scale.
Results: The intention-to-treat population included 85 sildenafil recipients (mean age 59 +/- 12 years) and 91 placebo recipients (mean age 57 +/- 11 years). Most partners (aged 20-79 years; mean, 54 years) were postmenopausal. Sildenafil compared with placebo couples had greater improvement in the primary outcome (FePEDS Q3 [P < 0.0001]) and in sexual function, intercourse success rates, and secondary sexual satisfaction measures (FSFI satisfaction domain [P < 0.0001] and IIEF satisfaction domains [P < 0.001]) and had higher treatment satisfaction (EDITS and EDITS-Partner; P < 0.0001). Several predictors of improvement were identified, and improvement in one member of the couple correlated positively with improvement in the other member.
Conclusions: The interdependence of sexual function and sexual satisfaction measures between members of couples consisting of men with ED and sexually healthy women reporting infrequent satisfactory sexual intercourse underscores the importance of including partners in ED treatment discussions.