In the late ’90s drugs such as Viagra revolutionised male potency and libido, but drugs like these proved to be ineffective with women. Their will or drive to have sex was still lacking. That was until a recent study discovered why…

Researchers took a few steps back to have another glance at the research they gathered on a drug, similar to Viagra, called Cialis. During a trial which 50 women were a part of, 35% of those who received a placebo treatment (instead of the real Cialis) had reported an improvement in their sex lives. This proved that much of a woman’s sex drive is all in her mind. The women reported improvement on a variety of aspects, including the desire to have sex as well as the satisfaction they received from having sex. “Everything across the board improved in some women,” said study author Andrea Bradford, a post-doctoral fellow at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

The original study, which was conducted over a period of twelve weeks, 50 middle-aged women were given either Cialis or a placebo. Most of the participants were married and were asked to engage in sexual intercourse at least once a week as well as diarise what they experienced and when. “Many went above and beyond,” Bradford reported. The improvements could be caused by several aspects, some including talking to a health professional about sex, thinking about sex more often and trying a little bit harder. “I just think the act of attending to their sex lives was very therapeutic for some women,” Bradford said. When the study was concluded the frequency with which the women had sex, of course, declined, but their sex lives had improved significantly already. She said that quality was becoming more important than quality.

When sex is no longer satisfying, women tend to avoid it, noted Aline Zolbrod, a Boston-area clinical psychologist and sex therapist. Without at least giving it a try, there is little hope sex will get better. “I love this study,” Zolbrod said. “It does what we'd like to get our patients to do, which is to start having sex again. Instead of getting into bed and sighing, ‘Oh, this is never going to work,’ instead they are getting into bed and thinking, ‘Let's see what happens.’ When you have that attitude and you have sex almost once a week, for some women it really did the trick”.

“The ages of 35 to 55 can be difficult for women, who may be balancing careers, family responsibilities and assorted worries that seemingly leave little time to feel erotic,” says Zolbrod. Many women, even those who don't have sexual dysfunction, may be able to learn a bit from the study, she added. “Just try it. Hope for good things. Don't avoid it. Go in with good expectations. And communicate a little bit about what makes you feel good in your body,” she said.

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