Viagra, Levitra, Cialis And Your Relationship

Previously tabu men's medical matters such as erectile dysfunction and prostate cancer are now on a regular basis in the headlines. Men are starting to pay attention to the physical problems that can lead to loss of life - or loss of sexual function.

First there was Viagra, and now Levitra and Cialis are the latest drugs to help erectile troubles. Like everything else, they have positives and negatives. When it debuted in the United States., it provoked comment by the mass media and turned for the source of many jokes. On TV, Barbara Walters observed that some men would like to take the pill every night, and their wives are not necessarily thrilled with the additional sexual attention. Other people have indicated it is the beginning of a new sexual revolution like the introduction of the birth control pill.

"Unfortunately, many couples, especially where communication about sex is lacking, drift toward the complete termination of sexual relations."

Viagra, Levitra and Cialis have been demonstrated to be effective for both physical and psychological causes of erectile failure. Nevertheless, the longer the sexual dysfunction has been going on, the less likely it is that you and your partner will return to your previous level of functioning. Over time, both of you have accommodated to the lack of erection. Unfortunately, many couples, especially where communication about sex is lacking, drift toward the complete termination of sexual relations.

So, now you can enhance your erection with a pill, but it will not increase either your sexual desire (libido) or the receptivity of your partner. In fact, if someone surreptitiously slipped the drug into your drink, you would probably notice nothing at all without sexual stimulation. If sexual activity is not initiated, there will be no physical response of erection. There will be no psychic sense of having taken a drug, no feeling of getting "high." There will be no mood alteration.

How will this new ability to get an erection affect other factors in your relationship? I expect it will have great impact. Some men do not initiate sex because they fear they will fail to get a really firm erection. If Viagra, Levitra and Cialis give confidence and better erections to men who occasionally get nervous or have occasional erectile problems, it may mean a more satisfying sex life overall.

My concern is not with the ability of a drug to help you overcome erectile dysfunction. Anything that works! My concern is that it may be perceived as a cure-all. But what real impacts will it have, and will it actually have far reaching effects beyond helping you attain erection? Will it decrease the divorce rate? (Do women really leave their husbands because they no longer have the sexual energy of a twenty-year-old?) My experience demonstrates that the number one reason why couples break up is definitely not a man's lack of ability to achieve an erection. Both men and women need to understand that the normal aging process results in changes to our sexual functioning, which can lead to anxiety and erection problems.

This drug could have an adverse effect on relationships in general, by reinforcing the cultural focus that many men have on performance and "goal-oriented sex." The situation is bad enough now. Good sex does NOT equal a good relationship.

"Viagra, Levitra and Cialis are not aphrodisiacs. They will not increase your sexual desire. They are not a sexual device or stimulant."

Will the use of this drug delay a man or woman from leaving a bad relationship, or allow a good relationship to continue? Will it deceive a partner into believing that he/she is really loved and wanted? I tend to believe that Viagra, Levitra and Cialis, and any other drug it their type that comes down the pike will not profoundly change the manner in which men and women relate to each other.

My point of view is just that sex and relationships are very complicated, and simple answers are commonly wishful thinking. Viagra, Levitra and Cialis won't get rid of the other problems in the relationship, but may just bring them to the front. This may happen after a time of happiness, satisfaction and trying out the new erection potentiality.

A few words about what Viagra, and now Levitra and Cialis don't do: they do not make men good listeners - that drug, unluckily, is still a really long way off. They don't make men want their partners more, make them better lovers, increase their passion or do these lots of things that many people would like it to do. There's obviously a great risk of your having impossible expectations in all directions.

With the accessibility of Viagra, and now Levitra and Cialis, you're more likely to bring your sexual questions at once to your primary care physician. Hopefully, your concern about erections will transform into paying more care to your overall health. It will give you the chance to have your physical symptoms evaluated to eliminate many conditions that need to be addressed before prescribing Viagra, or Levitra and Cialis for you. Your physician will determine that they are easy to prescribe, good in most cases, and just about free of side effects. This is a wonderful progress! Please go on with caution and analyse where it fits into your relationship.

Dr. Hersh is listed in The International Who's Who in Sexology (1st ed.), and he is a member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS), and the Sex Information and Education Councils of the United States (SIECUS) and Canada (SIECCAN). He has also served as Educator for Planned Parenthood Association of BC - Nelson Branch. dr_sex@telus.net, www.Doctor-Sex.org