After Viagra, a little pink pill for women

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Published Feb 26, 2014

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London - Women can boost their sex lives with an over-the-counter herbal pill, scientists claim.

They say Lady Prelox has been found to significantly raise a woman’s sexual pleasure.

Dubbed the “female Viagra” after the little blue pills that treat erectile dysfunction in men, Lady Prelox is on sale at high-street chain Holland & Barrett. But at £37.95 (about R700) for a pack of 60 little pink tablets – which is only enough to last a month as women have to take two a day – the price tag alone is likely to cause a shriek.

Makers Pharma Nord claim a French pine bark extract called Pycnogenol improves poor circulation, which, they say, is linked to a weakened sex drive.

Scientists in Italy conducted studies 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 and a cardiologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals in London, said the circulation theory behind Lady Prelox may prove correct.

He added: “We know that in men sexual dysfunction is mainly a vascular problem. We don’t have any concrete evidence of this in women yet, but I suspect there may turn out to be a link.”

However, obstetrician and gynaecologist Andy Heeps said he remained unconvinced. “Female sexual dysfunction is a complex area. There’s no single cause and so there’s no single magic bullet,” Mr Heeps added.

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

“These aren’t aphrodisiacs,” he warned. “If you’re not turned on by your partner, no amount of tablets will help.” . - Mail On Sunday

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