Spontaneity lost as impotence pills arouse new problems for couples
August 23, 2006

IMPOTENCE pills do wonders for men with erection difficulty. But once the pill is popped, all sorts of hidden pressures surface, - especially when, at around $15 each, erections do not come cheap.

A team of researchers at Monash University have tracked how the erectile dysfunction pill Viagra - and similar drugs Levitra and Cialis - affect relationships. Most couples reported a more dynamic sex life and greater intimacy, but this comes at a cost.

In the Viagra age of intimacy, the study found, spontaneity is the loser. Sex must be planned because, at just over $60 for four pills, many couples felt they could not afford to "waste a good erection".

One man in the study - which questioned 20 couples about their use of the medication - said he could not afford to feel like sex during the week, while other couples said their GPs helped them out with free samples.

Spontaneity was also destroyed by the unreliable and inconsistent nature of erection treatment.

Use of the treatment was loaded with expectations, the study found. Men saw it as a "sexual fountain of youth" that would "turn back the clock 30 years".

The study, which was funded by Andrology Australia, is part of a growing body of work by researchers and clinicians that challenges the assumption that a good erection means good sex and good coupledom.

About 16 per cent of erectile dysfunction patients take Viagra-like pills. Of those in the study, 60 per cent took Cialis, 25 per cent Viagra and 15 per cent Levitra.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/spontaneity-lost-as-impotence-pills-arouse-new-problems-for-couples/2006/08/22/1156012541796.html