diff --git a/conn.go b/conn.go
index 012c8c7c..59e3bd58 100644
--- a/conn.go
+++ b/conn.go
@@ -600,7 +600,7 @@ func (cn *conn) gname() string {
 func (cn *conn) simpleExec(q string) (res driver.Result, commandTag string, err error) {
 	b := cn.writeBuf('Q')
 	b.string(q)
-	cn.send(b)
+	cn.mustSendRetryable(b)
 
 	for {
 		t, r := cn.recv1()
@@ -632,7 +632,7 @@ func (cn *conn) simpleQuery(q string) (res *rows, err error) {
 
 	b := cn.writeBuf('Q')
 	b.string(q)
-	cn.send(b)
+	cn.mustSendRetryable(b)
 
 	for {
 		t, r := cn.recv1()
@@ -765,7 +765,7 @@ func (cn *conn) prepareTo(q, stmtName string) *stmt {
 	b.string(st.name)
 
 	b.next('S')
-	cn.send(b)
+	cn.mustSendRetryable(b)
 
 	cn.readParseResponse()
 	st.paramTyps, st.colNames, st.colTyps = cn.readStatementDescribeResponse()
@@ -882,13 +882,29 @@ func (cn *conn) Exec(query string, args []driver.Value) (res driver.Result, err
 	return r, err
 }
 
-func (cn *conn) send(m *writeBuf) {
-	_, err := cn.c.Write(m.wrap())
+func (cn *conn) send(m *writeBuf) (int, error) {
+	return cn.c.Write(m.wrap())
+}
+
+func (cn *conn) mustSend(m *writeBuf) {
+	_, err := cn.send(m)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 }
 
+func (cn *conn) mustSendRetryable(m *writeBuf) {
+	sentBytes, err := cn.send(m)
+	if err != nil {
+		if _, ok := err.(*net.OpError); ok {
+			if sentBytes == 0 {
+				err = &netErrorNoWrite{err}
+			}
+		}
+		panic(err)
+	}
+}
+
 func (cn *conn) sendStartupPacket(m *writeBuf) error {
 	_, err := cn.c.Write((m.wrap())[1:])
 	return err
@@ -1109,7 +1125,7 @@ func (cn *conn) auth(r *readBuf, o values) {
 	case 3:
 		w := cn.writeBuf('p')
 		w.string(o["password"])
-		cn.send(w)
+		cn.mustSend(w)
 
 		t, r := cn.recv()
 		if t != 'R' {
@@ -1123,7 +1139,7 @@ func (cn *conn) auth(r *readBuf, o values) {
 		s := string(r.next(4))
 		w := cn.writeBuf('p')
 		w.string("md5" + md5s(md5s(o["password"]+o["user"])+s))
-		cn.send(w)
+		cn.mustSend(w)
 
 		t, r := cn.recv()
 		if t != 'R' {
@@ -1145,7 +1161,7 @@ func (cn *conn) auth(r *readBuf, o values) {
 		w.string("SCRAM-SHA-256")
 		w.int32(len(scOut))
 		w.bytes(scOut)
-		cn.send(w)
+		cn.mustSend(w)
 
 		t, r := cn.recv()
 		if t != 'R' {
@@ -1165,7 +1181,7 @@ func (cn *conn) auth(r *readBuf, o values) {
 		scOut = sc.Out()
 		w = cn.writeBuf('p')
 		w.bytes(scOut)
-		cn.send(w)
+		cn.mustSend(w)
 
 		t, r = cn.recv()
 		if t != 'R' {
@@ -1219,9 +1235,9 @@ func (st *stmt) Close() (err error) {
 	w := st.cn.writeBuf('C')
 	w.byte('S')
 	w.string(st.name)
-	st.cn.send(w)
+	st.cn.mustSend(w)
 
-	st.cn.send(st.cn.writeBuf('S'))
+	st.cn.mustSend(st.cn.writeBuf('S'))
 
 	t, _ := st.cn.recv1()
 	if t != '3' {
@@ -1299,7 +1315,7 @@ func (st *stmt) exec(v []driver.Value) {
 	w.int32(0)
 
 	w.next('S')
-	cn.send(w)
+	cn.mustSend(w)
 
 	cn.readBindResponse()
 	cn.postExecuteWorkaround()
@@ -1601,7 +1617,7 @@ func (cn *conn) sendBinaryModeQuery(query string, args []driver.Value) {
 	b.int32(0)
 
 	b.next('S')
-	cn.send(b)
+	cn.mustSendRetryable(b)
 }
 
 func (cn *conn) processParameterStatus(r *readBuf) {
diff --git a/error.go b/error.go
index 96aae29c..a978460a 100644
--- a/error.go
+++ b/error.go
@@ -460,6 +460,18 @@ func errorf(s string, args ...interface{}) {
 	panic(fmt.Errorf("pq: %s", fmt.Sprintf(s, args...)))
 }
 
+// NetErrorNoWrite is a network error that occured before a message that
+// indicates the operation to execute was transfered to the server.
+// These operations are safe to retry. This error should be replaced with
+// driver.ErrBadConn before it's passed to the caller.
+type netErrorNoWrite struct {
+	Err error
+}
+
+func (e *netErrorNoWrite) Error() string {
+	return "netErrorNoWrite: " + e.Err.Error()
+}
+
 // TODO(ainar-g) Rename to errorf after removing panics.
 func fmterrorf(s string, args ...interface{}) error {
 	return fmt.Errorf("pq: %s", fmt.Sprintf(s, args...))
@@ -492,6 +504,9 @@ func (c *conn) errRecover(err *error) {
 		} else {
 			*err = v
 		}
+	case *netErrorNoWrite:
+		c.bad = true
+		*err = driver.ErrBadConn
 	case *net.OpError:
 		c.bad = true
 		*err = v