Sex enhancers

Heather Little-White, PhD, Contributor

You may have heard of the little blue pill, Viagra, to enhance libido and sexual performance. There are countless diets and super foods advertised to improve sex drive and Kegel exercises are touted to strengthen sex muscles. In our culture, there are several locally produced potions and oils to spice up your sex life. Some may have mythical powers instead of working magic to improve sex. What will you be willing to try and how adventurous will you be with new sex enhancers?

Drug spray for premature ejaculation

If you are suffering from premature ejaculation, you should be happy to know that there is a new drug spray that may help this. Premature ejaculation occurs within one minute of the penis penetrating the vagina and this condition is emerging as the number one sexual health problem. This condition, which affects up to 30 per cent of men, is devastating for them and their lovers, leading to anxiety, depression and relationship problems.

According to Charlene Laing in WebMD Health News, men who suffer from premature ejaculation may last six times longer if they use a quick spray of a new drug, When the spray is applied to the head of the penis five minutes before sex, ejaculation will not happen as fast. The spray is wiped off the penis just before penetration. While the drug is still in the developmental stage, Dr Irwin Goldstein, director of San Diego Sexual Medicine at Alvarado Hospital in San Diego, is optimistic and excited about it because this is the first time a drug is being rigorously tested for men with serious premature ejaculation problems.

Painkillers

The drug is made of two common painkillers - lidocaine and prilocaine - to numb the penis to allow men to last at least six times longer during intercourse. The drug is slightly oily but tolerable. The most common side effect in partners was burning in the vulvo-vaginal area. Researchers posit that the drug works for both circumcised and uncircumcised men, although the latter gain more benefit because there is more surface area to spray. Still searching for a conclusive theory as to how the drug works, researchers believe that it could be that altering input from the penis to the brain ultimately limits excitation.

The new drug is called PSD502, as the company is yet to give it a name under which it will be marketed after approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The company is encouraged by the recent findings of the study presented at a medical conference. The findings will have to undergo 'peer review' process, in which outside experts scrutinise the data prior to publication in a medical journal.

Fun Condoms

When it comes to condoms, most of the discussion revolves around the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, rather than fun. Designer condoms are available and they represent a more recreational image and offer more fun. Sex educators believe that sex education campaigns promoting condom use should emphasise how they can enhance the fun factor of sex as a way to motivate people to use condoms and participate in safer sexual behaviour. Pleasure-producing condoms are less expensive and complex than other sex aids to boost your sex life. Suzie Heumann, president of Tantra.com Inc and author of The Everything Great Sex Book, believes that condoms could actually be the new sex toys of the future.

Vaginal Rejuvenation

As extreme as it may be, some women are willing to undergo the surgical procedure called vaginal rejuvenation, in which the aesthetic appearance of the vagina is improved to enhance pleasure during sex. Vaginal rejuvenation also refers to such procedures as revirginisation, which seeks to create the effect of a restored hymen, and G-spot amplification, in which a filling agent is injected into the front inner wall of the vagina in order to increase sensation.

Although some doctors stand by the procedure for women whose vaginal structure makes sex difficult and painful, The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not support this procedure. In an August 2007 statement, the organisation urged women to stay away from this radical procedure which has minimal effect on sexual performance. In a few instances, a doctor may recommend vaginal restructuring after a woman gives birth and there is a high degree of stretching and incontinence.

Penis Enhancement Surgery

When size matters, men also look to surgery for better sex and will go under the surgeon's knife for a longer or thicker penis. According to Dr Darius Paduch, a urologist and an expert in male sexual function at the New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center, believes the idea that a larger penis may lead to more pleasurable sex is not unfounded, as past research has shown that length and thickness play a part in the orgasm of a female partner. He adds that from the female perspective, penis size and girth matter.

However, the surgical procedures for a larger penis are risky because, if not done properly, they could lead to serious injury. In some instances, the man may have to use a device or technique in an attempt to lengthen his penis on his own. This could cause serious damage to the nerves and blood vessels in the penis. For men with certain medical conditions that affect the size of their penis, it is likely that such surgical interventions could have some positive effect. For most men, though, the need for such surgery is only in their minds, as they are not sure that the average size when erect is about five and a quarter to five and a half inches in length.

The Orgasmatron

The idea behind the orgasmatron is to implant electrodes close to the spinal nerves ans turn a dial on a box to experience an intense orgasm. This device was what Dr Stuart Meloy, a pain specialist in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, accidentally devised while using a spinal stimulator to treat chronic pain. While the idea behind the device was to feed an electrical current into spinal nerves to override pain signals, the device had an unintended side effect on female patients by producing intense orgasms. The technique, now termed neutrally augmented sexual function, should provide hope for women who have trouble achieving orgasm but its development has been stalled and it is yet to reach the market.

High Heels

High heels have been associated with being sexy, and the opinion is supported by Dr Maria Angela Cerruto, a urologist at the University of Verona, Italy, who suggests that the posture that women adopt while wearing heels can tone the muscles in their abdomen and pelvic floor (Journal of European Urology, Spring 2009). Wearing high heels may have negative implications for a woman's womb but researchers believe it is great news for women struggling with exercising the pelvic floor through Kegel exercises (ABC Medical Unit).

Exercise

If you were to add more physical activity to your life, it could result in more sexual activity in the bedroom. Research has shown that there is a link between exercise and an improved sex life. A report in the Annals of Internal Medicine (August 2003) posited that exercise improved erections and reduced the risk of impotence in men older than 50. This finding was supported in another small study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (June 23, 2004) which found that exercise and a reduced-calorie diet could help correct erectile dysfunction in obese men.

Improved circulation from regular exercise can enhance sexual performance. Aside from the immediate effects of exercise, she noted that over the long term, an exercise regimen could enhance circulation, reduce cholesterol and increase flexibility - all good news for sexual performance, especially for people with clogged arteries and diabetes who may not have good sex, particularly getting into fun positions which require muscle strength and flexibility.

Recently, it was reported that even French President Nicolas Sarkozy had adopted an exercise regimen that his personal trainer Julie Imperiali claimed had reaped him fringe benefits in the form of improved sex, she told the UK paper The Telegraph. She attributed her success to targeting the muscles in the pelvic floor (abcnews.go.com)

Sex enhancers come in several forms, and as time progresses the options grow wider, so you should be aware of some of the risks associated with sex-enhancing activities and products.

Send feedback/questions to: heatherl@cwjamaica.com