The breakthroughs in erectile dysfunction that launched pharmaceutic juggernauts and an endless parade of late night talk show jokes may have done wonders for the sex lives of men everywhere, but can it do much to improve their actual relationships?
New research published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine examined whether implementing such treatments as Viagra can have a positive or lasting effect on a man’s quality of life and his own satisfaction levels within a relationship.
To study this, data was gathered from around 40 clinical trials in order to compile the findings. The trials, each related to erectile dysfunction and PDE5 inhibitor treatments, queried men on the quality of their sex lives, romantic relationships and outlook both prior to treatment and in the months beyond.
While there was significant improvements seen in terms of patients’ sexual satisfaction and even personal confidence, issues that were more related to the actual relationship did not show considerable improvement.
“Men with decreased levels of satisfaction
did not experience improvements.”
Men who reported decreased levels of satisfaction in a relationship before starting treatment were not found to experience improvements afterward. Similarly, some issues of lower self-esteem or minor depression in patients showed no significant signs of improving.
However, the study warns that in some cases, a change to the patient’s quality of life may not have been seen because they were already content with their lives prior to beginning treatment.
It also mentions that, for some patients, enough time may not have elapsed between the start of treatment and the time of the survey to allow for serious psychological adjustments.
Dr. Andrew Kramer, a urologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center who wasn’t involved in the study, said to LiveScience.com, “It’s simplistic to think that fixing an erection issue would solve relationship issues. Happiness is very complicated, and erections are just one small piece of it.”
From: livescience.com.
