How to Talk to Your Partner About Peyronie’s Disease

The conversation is going to vary, depending on the stage of your relationship and severity of the disease, says Philip Werthman, MD, a urologist and the director of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal in Los Angeles. A frank discussion with a partner of 40 years may look different than a conversation with a person you just started dating.

Regardless of how long you’ve known your partner, here are a few tips you can use to broach the subject.

1. Choose the Right Time for the Conversation

2. Reassure Your Partner That You’re Still Attracted to Them

3. Mention That It’s Treatable

4. Talk About What to Expect

5. Find New Ways to Be Intimate

If you need help bringing up the subject or are experiencing other issues related to performance or self-esteem, consider talking to a sex therapist or other mental health professional, says Werthman.

In all likelihood, the condition can be treated, and you’ll be able to be intimate again, he says. “Most men just go back to life as usual,” he says.