New sex pill puts women in the mood

11 February 2014 - 02:10 By ©The Daily Telegraph
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A new Finnish study finds that gentle stroking may promote bonding in couples.
A new Finnish study finds that gentle stroking may promote bonding in couples.
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A new pill dubbed "the female Viagra" could boost women's sex lives, according to scientists.

The herbal pill, called Lady Prelox, has been found to raise a woman's sexual pleasure significantly.

The pink pill contains a supplement containing an extract from French pine bark called pycnogenol and goes on sale this month. Manufacturers claim the supplement is the female version of the little blue erectile dysfunction pill.

But the £37.95 (R692) price tag for a pack of 60 little pink tablets is more likely to have women shrieking with horror, especially as they have to take two a day.

The maker of Lady Prelox, Nord Pharma, claims its product "boosts libido and increases arousal in women", because it "encourages blood flow to the reproductive organs as well as the brain".

Scientists in Italy conducted a study on 40 volunteers in their late 40s and early 50s, and on another group of women aged 37 to 45.

Both groups reported improvements in their sex lives after eight weeks, and scientists concluded the pill "significantly improves sexual function".

Dr Graham Jackson, chairman of the Sexual Advice Association, said that the circulation theory behind Lady Prelox may prove correct.

He added: "We know that in men sexual dysfunction is a vascular problem. We don't have any evidence of this in women yet, but there may turn out to be a link."

However, obstetrician and gynaecologist Andy Heeps said he was sceptical of the claims.

"Female sexual dysfunction is a complex area. There's no single cause and so there's no single magic bullet," Heeps added.

Dr Jackson also cautioned that such pills worked on the basis that desire was already there.

"These aren't aphrodisiacs. If you're not turned on, no amount of tablets will help," he warned.

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