Discusses the rise of the pharmaceutical soltion to sexual dysfunction and whether this condition is manufactured or real.
Livus, a company from Silicon Valley, California, is presently conducting trials on three products – the front-runners in the next generation of 'bedroom drugs.' One of these, which will treat sufferers of 'female sexual arousal disorder,' is scheduled to be on the market in just three years.
The size of the market for this highly desirable class of products is staggering, if sales of Viagra are anything to go by. Reported as the most prescribed drug ever, currently used by 15 million men [with a surprisingly young average age of 42], this treatment for erectile dysfunction was the herald of a new sexual revolution. These figures indicate that sexual dysfunction in men is reaching epidemic proportions and Laumann et al, in a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1999, confirm 33% of men affected, while in the same study, estimate an even greater proportion of women – 43% - similarly affected.
Yet Conrad & Millburn 2000 confirm what most individuals already know - sex is good for you physically, emotionally and spiritually. They report a clear link between satisfaction with sex life and psychological tests. Females in particular experience a strong association between adequate sexual function and overall general wellbeing. However optimal sexual function (along with optimal immune, physical and mental function) is a victim of modern diets, lifestyles and environments. Small wonder that the sexual revolution now upon us is a pharmaceutical one.
So while Viagra may have been the early emissary, it has now been joined by a sold phalanx of support troops. And while Livus continue their trials, a number of natural products for women are actually on the market right now. Containing the amino acid L-arginine, with or without a blend of herbal extracts, these topical gels, which are applied to the clitoris before and /or during sexual activity, are reported to produce heightened arousal, increased pleasurable sensations and more intense orgasms for the thousands of women who have tested them.
The number of individuals suffering sexual dysfunction will increase as the population ages. As well, there are many women - at menopause, after hysterectomy, after childbirth and breastfeeding, when stressed, tired and overworked, or when taking oral contraceptives, antidepressants or other libido- lowering drugs, who would benefit from improvement in a function that is fundamental to their overall health and wellbeing.
Some cynical individuals have accused the drug companies of creating a condition (in this case, sexual dysfunction) that creates an enormous market for their new range of products, but the truth may be somewhat different. The number of individuals who say that they are 'happy' with their sex lives is a frighteningly low 27 per cent in the United States, yet this percentage is significantly greater than the number of satisfied individuals in China – who are reported to account for only 9 per cent of the population, with sexually satisfied Russians numbering a depressingly low 6 percent.
Clearly Viagra started a trend that is not going to disappear, with the women of the affluent West likely to embrace their own version of the product. But will their less affluent and sexually dissatisfied Chinese and Russian sisters benefit from this new sexual revolution? We can only wait and see.
About the Author
Janette Roberts is a pharmacist and clinical nutritionist with a specific interest in preconception health care. She is co-author of the internationally acclaimed "Healthy Parents, Better Babies" and its three sequels.