Erectile dysfunction (ED) impacts greatly on men and their female partners. The Female Experience of Menʼs Attitudes to Life Events and Sexuality (FEMALES) study assessed levels of concordance or divergence among couple members’perceptions of the specific functional impairments characterising the male partnerʼs ED, and their attitudes, beliefs and experiences relating to ED.

Questionnaires were sent to partners of men with ED who participated in the Menʼs Attitudes to Life Events and Sexuality (MALES) 2004 study, and who consented to their partnerʼs involvement. FEMALES questionnaire responses were analysed in relation to responses to equivalent questions provided by male study participants.

Womenʼs perceptions of the specific functional impairments characterising their partnerʼs ED and the frequency of his erection difficulty were highly associated with assessments by the man. Significant associations were observed between couple members’responses regarding their attitudes, beliefs and experiences relating to ED. A number of sex-specific findings were highlighted, where couple members held divergent views on the effect of ED on the couples’everyday and sexual life.

A high degree of concordance in couple memberʼs perceptions of the male partnerʼs ED, and their attitudes and beliefs about ED was observed. However, a number of differences between males’and females’perceptions and attitudes were evident. Instances of discordance may be significant for the couple, and may contribute to treatment avoidance or conflict.