Viagra for him. Headache for her.

Dr. Tracey Fein M.D.

Board Certified, Obstetrics-Gynecology

Senior Attending Physician, Lenox Hill Hospital, NYC

VIAGRA FOR HIM. HEADACHE FOR HER.

Men’s sexuality and women’s sexuality are fundamentally linked. In some ways this makes for a very compatible union and in other ways it creates unique problems. Let’s take the Viagra revolution as an example. Treating erectile dysfunction, as a man gets older is a positive step in maintaining sexual vitality and a positive self-image. Expressing love through physical intimacy is something that brings joy to couples and helps to bind them together more tightly. More erections on a regular and sustainable basis should therefore be a positive step toward better sex and a more lasting union. Right?

Well, only sometimes. You see here’s the issue. Many men begin to lose sexual vibrancy in as they get into the fifties and sixties. They may retain the desire for sexual relations due to the continued production of the hormone testosterone, but the ability to keep and maintain erections begins to dwindle due to aging related conditions that restrict blood flow. Men have a unique sequence of sexual arousal that is unlike that for women. As men get sexually aroused, blood begins to flow to their private parts and an erection occurs. They are ready for sexual intercourse. This is the mechanism that all the erectile dysfunction drugs address; how to increase blood flow to the penis resulting in an erection.

Women have a whole other thing going on. As women get older their issues with maintaining sexual vibrancy go in an entirely different direction. With women, sexual difficulties arise coincident with the symptoms of menopause, somewhere between forty and fifty years old. During this period the hormone estrogen slows down its production and then eventually ceases being produced altogether. We’re familiar with the implications for this regarding pregnancy, but the implications for sex, are somewhat less familiar to most women. From pre-menopause through menopause to post-menopause, the ability to have enjoyable sex begins to diminish for many women. Vaginal dryness, painful sex, discomfort, loss of libido, loss of ability to experience sexual pleasure can all arise during this period. There are various treatments to help with these symptoms but the fact is with symptoms like these, who wants to have sex?

And there lies the problem. Viagra for him and vaginal dryness accompanied by painful sex for her. We need to admit there is a mismatch in pharmaceutical heaven somewhere. The men are ready and the women could use a little help. But there is no real Viagra for women and the reason lies in the complicated nature of women’s sexuality compared to men’s sexuality. To feel sexy a man needs an erection which he can get by popping a pill. To feel equally sexy a woman needs a vagina that creates pleasurable sensations during sex. But that requires estrogen to create new cell structures which will result in a soft, moist vagina. There are many treatments that help women with these symptoms with different treatments being most effective at appropriate times in the process of menopause. But the fact remains, the cell structures of the vagina change during menopause, they dry out and eventually atrophy because estrogen ceases being produced and that is the reason why Viagra for him can give her a headache. Four hour erections? Please. You’ll be the one seeking medical attention, forget about him.

For women who wish to retain sexual vibrancy through menopause and post-menopause there is a new, safe treatment called “The Mona Lisa Touch” that has proven highly effective. The procedure is similar to facial rejuvenation used to create younger looking skin. When used on vaginal tissue, the laser zaps the older tissue exciting it to regrow with softer, moister skin cells like those found in younger women who are still producing abundant estrogen which creates the same type of cells. This recent development in treating menopausal symptoms is generating buzz because it is the first real effective treatment resulting in better sexual function and greater sexual desire. Desire for sex is seen to increase in relation to the frequency that a woman experiences pleasurable sex. The better the sexual experience, the more one will wish to experience it again. Many are thinking of it as the female Viagra because it increases both sexual function and an increase in desire. In Cleveland, Ohio where this was first introduced it became a favorite Christmas gift for men to give to their wives or girlfriends.

Viagra for him. Vaginal rejuvenation for her. The best news to come from the frontiers of medicine regarding women’s sexuality is that there is now a way to achieve equality between the male oriented drugs that increase sexual vibrancy in men and the vaginal rejuvenation treatments that increase sexual vibrancy in women. In the war of the sexes, this should be heralded as one of the more successful outcomes in the struggle for equality from the boardroom to the bedroom.

The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) has a list of certified menopause specialists that can help women make a plan for effective treatment of menopausal symptoms. Or ask your regular doctor for a referral.

#menopause #drtraceyfein #monalisatouch #sexproblems