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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Effect of aging on libido calls for talk

Peter Gott United Media

Dear Dr. Gott: I am concerned about all these sexual enhancement drugs, e.g., Viagra, vaginal cream, etc.

Is it possible, just possible, that we are medicating ourselves to circumvent Mother Nature? I hear women complain that they are losing their sexual interest as they get older. But isn’t this nature’s way of saying, “There’s no need for sexual craving past your fertile years”? And I hear the television commercials – dozens of times a day – talk about male erectile dysfunction. But is erectile dysfunction really an illness, or is it a result of monogamy, a religious construct that is at direct odds with our natural instincts? In other words, is it possible that erectile dysfunction is simply a sign that the male is bored and/or no longer attracted to his spouse? After all, is it not completely unnatural to be sexually attracted to a woman who is post-menopausal?

I know that this is all terribly politically incorrect, but my concern is that we are at the beginning of a terrible medical/social-engineering era, where we develop drugs in an attempt to do away with natural processes.

Dear Reader: Your provocative letter certainly raises some pertinent issues and, I must admit, reflects concerns that I have that need to be explored by the American public.

The basic issue is: As we age, we change. We become less sexually attractive and, in many instances, less able to perform or achieve sexual gratification.

Your point – that this is inevitable – is valid. But like dying the hair and undergoing cosmetic surgery, these options are meant more to cheat the aging process than to accept it. From a purely medical perspective, no man and no woman will maintain their sexual interests and abilities as they enter middle and old age.

Granted, a skeptic might say, but why not attempt to cheat the aging process anyway? My answer is: Why don’t we try to show some class in our maturity by learning and adopting methods to accept the age-related changes? In addition, many medications may have horrendous side effects, such as heart attacks in elderly men who use drugs (like Viagra, Levitra and Cialis) to improve their erections, or female hormones that can predispose women to cancer.

I believe that most of us are more impressed by an elegant and articulate older lady than we are by a woman who tries unsuccessfully to blot out the inevitable consequences of advancing age. Similarly, an elderly gentleman who accepts his age and adjusts his goals is far more attractive than the senior who tries to look (and behave) like a 30-year-old.

I am certain that your objective is to provide a dialogue, and my goal is to encourage further discussion. So I am hereby opening up the discussion to my readers. Write me, and I will do a follow-up in a few weeks.