The Viagra Revolution - Emotional And Social Issues: Womens Sexual Health

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The Viagra revolution

In 1998, sildenafil (Viagra) burst onto the scene. Within days, male sexuality was making headlines, and within weeks, sales of the "little blue pill" were making history. The success of Viagra spawned the development of two similar drugs: vardenafil (Levitra) and tadalafil (Cialis). Now, millions of couples have seen firsthand what these drugs can and can't do.

In many cases, these medications are the answer to a prayer for men who have been unable to have an erection. But these pills offer no help in untangling the emotional and relationship pressures that frequently accompany erectile dysfunction.

For one thing, they work only if the man is feeling sexual desire for his partner. If emotional issues are impinging on libido, the pills won't help. For example, a man may feel so embarrassed by being unable to get an erection that he is no longer willing to attempt sexual activity, and his partner may mistakenly believe that he is no longer attracted to her. When Viagra, Levitra, or Cialis enters the picture, the woman may find it hard to let go of past feelings of rejection. She may mistakenly assume that her husband's newfound erections are merely a chemical phenomenon, not an outgrowth of sexual attraction to her. In these cases, sex therapy is helpful.

When intercourse is suddenly a possibility again, relationship issues can sprout up or resurface. For example, dramatic differences in libido sometimes emerge. Also, a woman can develop problems related to vaginal dryness and atrophy (see "Vaginal pain") if she hasn't had sex in a long time. She may need to undergo a few weeks of therapy using medication or dilators before she can comfortably resume intercourse.

The bottom line is that couples should try to regard pills for erectile dysfunction as an opportunity to become erotic again, while realizing that they are neither a mandate to have intercourse nor a panacea for every problem in the bedroom.

Last updated:	January 23, 2007