Can Pharmaceuticals Arouse Desire? Yes, as a first aid. But still, our heart and soul are always at the source of our erotic impulses.
No matter how we feel about it, the fact remains that our sex drive is largely influenced by sex hormones. First and foremost, testosterone. “It is with him that the emergence of sexual desire in men and women is associated,” sexologists say *. A lack of testosterone leads to a decrease in sexual activity, and its excess increases attraction. “The level of hormones can change within one or two months and even a year,” says gynecologist Nadezhda Zadontseva. “Once their balance is restored, erotic desire returns.” But as we age, around the age of 30, the body inevitably begins to produce fewer and fewer of the hormones needed to feel attraction. “So, by the age of 50–55, most men have almost half as much testosterone,” explains urologist Konstantin Kolontarev. However, not only testosterone deficiency reduces sexual appetite. “Often, desire disappears due to general fatigue (when we work hard, there is neither strength nor time left for intimate life), in addition, the availability of sex also affects it,” explains family psychotherapist Inna Khamitova. “It seems that the constant exploitation of this topic, erotic images in advertising, the press and on TV have had the opposite effect.” Psychotherapists and doctors note that a decrease or lack of desire today leads more and more patients to consult them. But they also recognize that this problem goes beyond mere physiology, inevitably raising further questions. Is there room for erotic experiences in our lives? And how to find time for this? “We have to think about the attitude towards ourselves, towards our partner, and also about the fact that the space of pleasure in our life is too limited,” says Inna Khamitova.
Hormone therapy (replenishing the lack of testosterone) or drugs that stimulate erection — such solutions are in demand today, which is evidenced by at least the constant increase in advertising of drugs like Viagra. “But the use of pills is only a partial measure,” warns Nadezhda Zadontseva. – To solve the problem, it is worth finding out the cause of the lack of desire, and not just restore it with the help of a “magic pill”. Pharmacology is our ally, but not the only one. Even if “technically” fixing the failure is sometimes faster. “With the help of pills, you can improve your sex life, but you can’t ignore the quality of the relationship, because it is in it that the essence of the problem sometimes lies,” concludes Inna Khamitova. Let’s put it this way: if a person decides to take a (proven, high-quality) drug, on the packaging of which it is clearly indicated that he is a stimulant of pleasure, this already at least indicates his desire to regain desire. And this is probably just the first step.
* W. Masters, W. Johnson, R. Kolodny «Fundamentals of Sexology». Peace, 1998.