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Is living in the age of Viagra a good thing or a bad thing for women? When it comes to STDs, it seems to be a bad thing.
We are hearing a lot about the new study finding an increase of STDs in older men who use medications for erectile dysfunction (like Viagra). What we haven't heard a lot about, is how this affects women (particularly older women).
Since they are past the age of worrying about unwanted pregnancies, many post-menopausal women are unaware of the risks that come with unprotected sex. The most disturbing part of this study is that the STD being most diagnosed in this age group is HIV/AIDS.
I imagine the last thing most women over the age of 50 are worried about is STDs, but that needs to change. Here is a video explaining why even people over the age of 50 still need to be concerned about HIV/AIDS.
It seems clear that doctors prescribing these medications need to be much more vigilant about patient education.
Michelle Stodden wrote, Serve the Tasty Viagra with a side-dish of Condoms:
Regardless of the behind-the-scenes reasons, there is obviously a need for sex education for the users of erectile dysfunction medications. It should begin with a frank doctor-patient discussion when the physician hands over a drug sample or a prescription, but I can’t imagine that always occurs. I know first hand that doctors are short on time and it’s possible some doctors assume that the adults accepting the medications are hip on today’s risks. However, many of the adults requesting the medications are embarrassed enough even asking for the drugs; discussing sex education in addition to the medication is the last thing on their minds. In my opinion, if you’re grown-up enough to ask for ED medications, which require a fair amount of planning, then you’re grown-up enough to plan in advance to have protection on hand.
As mothers we take the sex education of our children very seriously. It may be uncomfortable, but we have "the talk" with our kids. In the "Viagra age" we need to take that one step further and have "the talk" with the older women in our life too.
And since we're already on the topic of Viagra: This may come as a surprise (especially when you see all those ED commercials), but not all women are excited about their man being able to take a pill and be ready to have sex any time of the day or night.
From Linda at About.com - Effect of Viagra on women:
Viagra is marketed to aging men whose female counterparts are going through their own sexual crisis - menopause. These women want less sex but their partners now want more. Isn't this counter-intuitive? Doesn't this turn the bedroom into a battlefield at a time when women are already vulnerable.
From Gail at Vibrant Nation: Has Viagra and Cialis changed sex for women in a good or bad way?
We have no hormones and they have little blue pills. This makes 60+ year old men 30 again, while I'm coping with the sexual issues of being my age with no life preserver from the pharmaceutical companies. Like I said "tilt."
Men and women used to grow old together which kept the playing field level. Each sex having to learn to adjust their sex lives as they age.
This is from a commenter on that post:
When my other half takes Viagra I feel as though he could hump a horse. It seems that my needs are not important. Foreplay - what's that? Now he has a hard on and I'm not even in the mood. Great.
The emotional feeling that I get is that it's the Viagra turning him on and I have nothing to do with it. So I have nothing to do with his arousal how exciting do you think that is for me?
How do you feel about all of this? Should men taking ED medications be better educated on
