How to Talk to Your Partner About Peyronie’s Disease
Health ConditionsMen's HealthPeyronie's Disease

How to Talk to Your Partner About Peyronie’s Disease

How to Talk to Your Partner About Peyronie’s Disease
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Published on May 30, 2025
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Sex isn’t always an easy topic to broach. But if you have Peyronie’s disease, it can be even more challenging. That’s because it affects not just you, but also your partner, who may be feeling sympathetic, frustrated, or a combination of both.

Research shows that Peyronie’s disease can lower the quality of romantic relationships and decrease sexual desire. This might be because many men with Peyronie’s disease worry they’ll either hurt their partner or injure themselves before, during, or after intercourse.

The good news is, Peyronie’s disease is treatable. But before you treat it, you’ll likely need to talk about it with your partner. Here’s how to have the conversation.

5 Tips for Talking About Peyronie’s Disease With Your Partner

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

The time to bring up the subject isn’t right before intimacy. Instead, start the discussion outside the bedroom, when you and your partner may not be feeling as much pressure. Then explain that you have Peyronie’s disease, which interferes with your ability to have sex.

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

Peyronie’s disease can cause a lower libido or pain that hinders your ability to maintain an erection. If that’s the case for you, and you aren’t able to have sex, reassure your partner that it’s not their fault.

3. Mention That It’s Treatable

Peyronie’s disease can be treated, either with medications, traction therapy (which uses a device to stretch the penis), or surgery (usually reserved for more severe cases).

 The best treatment for you depends on the severity of the disease and how much it’s affecting your quality of life, says Dr. Werthman. In some cases, your partner may want to go to your appointments with you, to learn the best ways to support you.

4. Talk About What to Expect

Both you and your partner may feel more comfortable if you know more about the condition and how it may progress. Peyronie’s can worsen for up to 18 months before it stabilizes — and it will stabilize — and it can be treated.

5. Find New Ways to Be Intimate

Sex isn’t the only way to feel close to your partner. Find other ways to be intimate, in and out of the bedroom.

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.

Common Questions & Answers

Does Peyronie’s disease cause pain during sex?
Peyronie’s disease can cause painful erections in the early (acute) phase of the condition. This can make sex painful. Usually, though, pain during erections subsides within 18 months.
No. Peyronie’s disease is a build-up of scar tissue — also called plaque — under the skin of the penis. This is what causes the curve or bend.
It’s not known whether Peyronie’s disease is hereditary, but you have a higher risk of developing the condition if a family member has it.
In general, Peyronie’s disease is acquired over time and tends to affect men ages 45 to 70. But you can be born with congenital penile curvature, which is a condition that causes the penis to bend or curve.

The Takeaway

  • Choose the right time to discuss Peyronie’s disease. Talk about it outside the bedroom to reduce pressure and ensure a calm, open conversation.
  • Let your partner know that Peyronie’s disease is treatable, with options like medications, traction therapy, or surgery, depending on severity.
  • Find other ways to connect to strengthen your relationship during treatment.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Thach S et al. The Impact of Peyronie’s Disease on Couples. The French Journal of Urology. April 2024.
  2. Solan M. 7 Strategies for Partnering Up With ED. Harvard Health Publishing. November 19, 2020.
  3. Peyronie Disease. Mayo Clinic. March 27, 2024.
Additional Sources
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Christopher Wolter, MD

Medical Reviewer

Christopher Wolter, MD, is an assistant professor in urology at Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona. He has been in practice since 2008, specializing in the areas of urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse, urologic reconstruction, urologic prosthetics, post prostate cancer survivorship, erectile dysfunction, neurourology and neuromodulation, and overall functional considerations of urogenital health.

Dr. Wolter has been heavily involved in urologic education. He spent the last 12 years heavily involved in resident education and leadership for his department, including the last eight years as urology residency program director. He currently serves as the director of urologic education for the preclinical and clinical rotations for the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine Phoenix, Arizona, campus.

Wolter completed his undergraduate and medical education at the University of Illinois. He then completed his urology residency at Tulane University in New Orleans, followed by a fellowship in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive urology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Maria Masters

Maria Masters

Author

Maria Masters is a contributing editor and writer for Everyday Health and What to Expect, and she has held positions at Men's Health and Family Circle. Her work has appeared in Health, on Prevention.com, on MensJournal.com, and in HGTV Magazine, among numerous other print and digital publications.

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