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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Friend putting foot in it with DH by repeating my concerns with sex life

154 replies

Halo25 · 24/05/2025 08:46

Am I right to feel a bit pissed off here? I had a friend round last night for dinner (DH was out for a team meal). We had a couple of drinks and I confided in her that we were having a bit of a challenge with intimacy recently (in that it’s infrequent for a few reasons) but nothing that I didn’t think could be solved.

DH joined us briefly when he returned, I’m sure he’d have wanted to go straight to bed but out of politeness had a quick chat with my friend etc.

My friend brashly turns to him and says ‘you need to start giving her what she deserves or there’ll be a queue of men that will. Look at her, I’m surprised you don’t want to jump on her every night’. DH awkwardly laughed and made his excuses to go to bed.

I was horrified - my friend was drunk but for me has crossed a line. DH is furious with me for ‘oversharing’ despite my repeated apologies.

I’ve not contacted my friend yet today - would you read the riot act?

OP posts:
okydokethen · 24/05/2025 09:16

That’s awful. Don’t feel bad about over sharing, all the women I know do, but you don’t repeat it!

SmoothRoads · 24/05/2025 09:19

LikeARacoonOnMeth · 24/05/2025 08:50

Why on earth did you tell her?
I’d be furious if DH discussed our sex life with his mates.

Turn this around and everyone would be telling the woman their DH was out of order to share with his mates (there have been several such threads recently too)

So, no, I wouldn’t read her the riot act. I think this is on you tbh, you overshared and she was drunk. If you hadn’t told her she couldn’t have blabbed.

No, if you have a close friend you should be able to confide in each other and ask each other for advise. It's the friend was out of order. Otherwise, what are close friendships for?

cheddercherry · 24/05/2025 09:25

Some couples share with both sides of their friendship groups and it’s obviously an understanding, some couples see it ultimately as an intimate thing and wouldn’t dream of sharing. Clearly for your husband it’s been a betrayal of trust and you need to take that on the chin and focus on apologising.

Sure you can chat to friends about YOUR own issues or preferences but when you share about certain parts of your joint sex life it’s not just about you confiding in your friends- you’re sharing the other persons most intimate moments too and that’s out of order if they don’t realise random women are gossiping about their performance/ lack of. It works both ways, men get it in the neck on here all the times for chatting with their mates about it sex.

I also wouldn’t share super personal stuff with her again, grown adults that hide behind the “oh I’m drunk so it’s not my fault” when they knew exactly what they’re doing don’t make the best mates.

Sherararara · 24/05/2025 09:30

If I was your DH I would have thrown the bitch out - no one speaks to me like that in my own home. And I would be furious with you.

OhCalmTheFuckDownMargaret · 24/05/2025 09:31

TasWair · 24/05/2025 08:51

She knew exactly what she was doing. Frienemy.

So did OP who wasn't drunk. But as always on MN it's only out of order if a man discusses his sex life with his mates.

LadeOde · 24/05/2025 09:33

It's always unwise to have friends who get drunk, they always make foolish mistakes.

Bowlandbillow · 24/05/2025 09:37

@ItGhoul. If you feel it is normal for women to confide in their friends about their sex life with their husbands, do you expect men to do the same with their mates. There is always such an outcry on here when a woman finds out that her husband has said anything about her to his friends. Either there are a lot of hypocritical women who claim they don’t tell tales on their husbands to friends and family, but you wrote that ‘it is normal’ for women to do this. So would you expect a man to have the right to behave in the same way or is it classic MN double standards?
I have wonderful friends, we have seen each other through serious cancers, the death of parents and in one case the death of a child. I cannot imagine ‘telling’ on my husband behind his back knowing that he would be mortified if he knew about it.
There is so much pressure on men to button up and not to ‘talk’. No wonder the suicide rate is the biggest killer of younger men. I really hope some of the men reading this thread, adopt a policy of discussing his and his wife’s sex life with his mates. Would posters. On this thread like that to become ‘normal’?

K8ate · 24/05/2025 09:39

I think this is something that’s quite common among women - sharing intimate details with friends.
But i believe this is wrong and a betrayal to their partner (the same if a man shares details with their friends).
Without your partner’s consent and permission, i believe it’s wrong, highly inappropriate and in bad taste to discuss personal details like this.

Bowlandbillow · 24/05/2025 09:39

I am going to quote the ‘but it’s normal for a woman to discuss her sex life with her friends, the next time a woman complains that her husband has done this.

ToKittyornottoKitty · 24/05/2025 09:43

I wouldn’t read her the riot act, you knew she’d be getting drunk and your DH would be coming home, it’s your mistake too. I’d tell her she’s betrayed your trust and not share stuff like this again with her though.

Bowlandbillow · 24/05/2025 09:51

The trouble is, if she is that indiscreet, she will gossip about is to your other friends and your DH will know that. If you were your DH, would you ever want to meet up with her socially again?
OP, this is on you.

jacks11 · 24/05/2025 09:52

I think your friend was completely out of order. She may have been drunk, which could be a mitigating factor, but that does not excuse it. Even if she was just trying to be supportive of you, she essentially ridiculed him in front of you and told him if he did not sort it out, you’d cheat on him (I am not saying you would, but that is what she implied). That is really not something that can be dismissed easily, it is absolutely not on. If my DH’s friend did that to me I would be humiliated, mortified and so upset. And furious too. I can totally understand your DH’s perspective. Your friend owes him an apology, at the very least, and I think she owes you one too. If you want to continue your friendship, I would not be sharing anything you want kept private, as it is clear she cannot be trusted to be discreet.

Contrary to some previous posters, I doubt it will improve the situation. He is now hurt, angry and feels humiliated- how that is going to improve a situation where there is a problem (presumably more/all from his side, from what OP has written) is beyond me. I cannot imagine many suggesting that if the genders were reversed- most would be saying that putting pressure on someone via ridicule and humiliation are the last thing that is going to improve a woman’s desire to have sex with her partner. I cannot think why anyone would think it is not equally horrible thing to do to a man. I know OP did not do this directly, but her friend has- in front of her. Did you express your disagreement at her behaviour in front of him, or sit quiet and apologise once she had gone? If the latter, you probably need to reassure him you don’t agree with her approach and she had been asking for advice/a listening ear, as opposed to sitting criticising and making fun of him to your friend all evening, which I imagine is a scenario that is running through his head.

OP also did not say her DH didn’t recognise there was an issue, and she also said she believed they could work through it. That is likely to be slightly impeded now, I’d have thought. I think the best thing for OP to do, having apologised already, is to give some reassurance that she does not think the way her friend implied and then to give him some time to calm down- then sit down and work through the bigger issues that are impacting your intimacy. You haven’t said whether it is a physical issue (e.g. ED, lack of libido) on your husband’s part, or an emotional/psychology one (or both) and whether he is the only one who is having trouble or if it is an issue for both of you, so it’s hard to know what might help. If he won’t address any of the problems, then by all mean

MN is a weird place- so many threads with women saying they would be furious if their DH/partner discussed any aspect of their sex life with a friend, yet for women it is absolutely fine, if not expected. I have no idea why it is ok for women but not for men. Not only that, few women would agree that being ridiculed- which is what OP’s friend did- is a reasonable way to treat a women, nor is it likely to make them want to be intimate with their partner. Yet, according to quite a few posters here, not only absolutely ok to do to this to a man, but will probably improve things as he will “take the hint” or “make him do something about it”- so may, in fact, be a positive thing to have done! Of course, if a man did the same thing to a woman, the same people would brand a man doing that as awful, misogynistic, lacking in respect for their partner and only being interested in sex. I imagine there’d be a few LTB too. I just don’t think it’s helpful advice, and likely to cause barriers in their relationship if it is not acknowledged that it was no way to have treated him.

Lyra87 · 24/05/2025 09:55

Your friend shouldn't have said anything to your DH. I can see why your DH is upset. Discussing marriage issues with people outside the marriage is not a simple right or wrong thing to do as it's nuanced but if you do need to discuss it you need to pick the right person and this friend has shown she's not that person.

Sera1989 · 24/05/2025 09:57

Your friend was really out of order for saying that as she should’ve known you told her in confidence.

I don’t think you were wrong for speaking to your friend about your relationship or sex life, it’s good to get support/advice and other people’s opinions sometimes. But I’d tell her that she shouldn’t have repeated what you said and I wouldn’t talk to her about something private again

Bowlandbillow · 24/05/2025 10:04

@Sera1989 Do you think it is also good for man to confide in their mates about their sex lives with their wives? How would you feel if you discovered your husband had done this exact thing?

jacks11 · 24/05/2025 10:08

cheddercherry · 24/05/2025 09:25

Some couples share with both sides of their friendship groups and it’s obviously an understanding, some couples see it ultimately as an intimate thing and wouldn’t dream of sharing. Clearly for your husband it’s been a betrayal of trust and you need to take that on the chin and focus on apologising.

Sure you can chat to friends about YOUR own issues or preferences but when you share about certain parts of your joint sex life it’s not just about you confiding in your friends- you’re sharing the other persons most intimate moments too and that’s out of order if they don’t realise random women are gossiping about their performance/ lack of. It works both ways, men get it in the neck on here all the times for chatting with their mates about it sex.

I also wouldn’t share super personal stuff with her again, grown adults that hide behind the “oh I’m drunk so it’s not my fault” when they knew exactly what they’re doing don’t make the best mates.

Totally agree with this. Your friend was drunk, but that doesn’t excuse her behaviour. She was totally out of order.

I agree with cheddarcherry in that some couples are fine with their partners sharing details, others are not. It depends what is the norm for your relationship, as to whether he had a reasonable expectation that you would keep the difficulties you have been experiencing between you entirely private, or not. Even if you normally share, I can see how he might have thought you wouldn’t discuss it with others- especially if it something he is upset or embarrassed about- and feel like you have betrayed him in some way- even if you don’t feel you did anything wrong/anything you would not normally do. That doesn’t make either of you wrong, necessarily, but it does mean mismatched expectations and that can lead to hurt and upset. That said, if he knows you normally share details with your friends, and did not ask you to keep this between you, then I think this is less of an issue- though he has a right to feel hurt. If you care about him, then I think you could acknowledge that your sharing this with your friend has been hurtful, and what your friend did was totally unacceptable.

I also agree that when you share details of joint sex lives, you are also giving intimate details about your partner to your friends. It’s fine to discuss any preferences/issues etc that you may be having- it’s not up to your partner what you share with friends about yourself- but i think it is less clear cut when it is about your partner or joint issues. That said, I do understand wanting to discuss things with a friend if you aren’t sure what to do etc. But I think it is understandable that some people may view this as a complete betrayal of trust to tell others about them or your joint sex-life- especially if they are experiencing problems that they are worried or embarrassed about. I don’t think there is necessarily a right or a wrong, but perhaps you need some agreement about what is and is not ok to share with your friends?

Bowlandbillow · 24/05/2025 10:08

I am interested in how many posters on here believe that confiding in your mates ( men and women) about your partner's performance in bed is acceptable. None of these posters, who are saying its normal, ever appear on the threads where a wife is feeling betrayed by her husband confiding in friends about his sex life with his wife.

mamajong · 24/05/2025 10:08

I think its normal to have open conversations with close friends but think when alcohol is involved people can blab things, so I've learnt to not share things if im not prepared to standby them if they were to be repeated and also not yo say something about someone behind their back that you wouldn't be willing to say to their face

Bowlandbillow · 24/05/2025 10:11

The OP hasn't returned to explain if she and her husband have a shared agreement about talking to their mates about each other's performance in bed. I suspect they did not which is why she knows she is ultimately responsible.
Do most couples these days have such an open agreement?

Ooral · 24/05/2025 10:13

Damnloginpopup · 24/05/2025 08:57

😁 Good on her. Did you get any?

(No need to answer, but if you wanted it I hope he took the hint!)

My first thought as well 😂

jacks11 · 24/05/2025 10:21

@Ooral

Would you say the same thing if OP was posting here because she was upset that her husband had told his friends that they were not having sex regularly/at all and one of them essentially said to her that she was pathetic, that if she did not buck her ideas up then her husband would start having sex with other people, and be justified in doing so? I doubt it.

Riducule and humiliation is a libido killer for most people, men and women alike. And if he is having issues with ED which are not solely related to physical causes, likely to make it worse. I cannot imagine many more effective ways to ensure you do not, in fact, “get any”.

Vaxtable · 24/05/2025 10:24

Well now you know you can’t trust her. I would be calling her telling her you are very upset she didn’t keep your conversation private and now you know not to share anything

Duvetsse · 24/05/2025 10:27

You confided in the wrong person and the consequences of that are for you to bear.
I couldn't look at a "friend" again would do that, drunk is not an excuse.
That was very nasty.

As for your husband, he has every right to feel hurt, humiliated and exposed.
You have to apologise profusely to him.

If my husbands friend said that to me, I doubt I would move on from it.

Its not the sharing is the issue, some women do that.
It's that you shared with someone who would throw it back in your husbands face like that.

Completely unforgivable.

I actually don't believe that someone could do that 100% innocently.

Ooral · 24/05/2025 10:29

jacks11 · 24/05/2025 10:21

@Ooral

Would you say the same thing if OP was posting here because she was upset that her husband had told his friends that they were not having sex regularly/at all and one of them essentially said to her that she was pathetic, that if she did not buck her ideas up then her husband would start having sex with other people, and be justified in doing so? I doubt it.

Riducule and humiliation is a libido killer for most people, men and women alike. And if he is having issues with ED which are not solely related to physical causes, likely to make it worse. I cannot imagine many more effective ways to ensure you do not, in fact, “get any”.

Give it a rest. I was replying to the previous poster in a humorous manner.

Before you start, yes it is funny, because if his mate had said something, he would be hung, but it's OK for a woman?
I can imagine the outcry if his mate mentioned she could be doing with losing some weight so he would fancy her.... There would be a sell out on flaming torches.

Halo25 · 24/05/2025 10:29

Hi all, I appreciate the replies.

Just to say, I’m not sure telling a close friend that we’re going through a dry spell (I'm not too sure on the term to use!) can be compared to giving a warts and all description of what we get upto in bed. If DH was to tell a friend that we are trying to work through some problems, I wouldn’t care less. If he was describing our sex life in detail, I would.

DH has spoken with me this morning and confirmed that actually his issue isn’t so much that I spoke with my friend, but that he felt confronted in an inappropriate manner by her.

OP posts: