Not By Viagra Alone

With that little blue pill, any man--no matter how old--can be a stud. Right? Not necessarily, according to new research out of Stanford University School of Medicine. In an eight-week study, psychologist Linda Banner, working with urologist Rodney Anderson Jr., studied 57 long-term couples, mean age 57, in which the man had had erectile dysfunction for an average of five years. About half were randomly chosen to receive Viagra alone; the other group got Viagra along with sex therapy. After four weeks, just one of the Viagra-only couples did well enough (on standardized gauges of erectile functioning and sexual satisfaction) to stop treatment, and six dropped out. Two of the combination group graduated, with only one dropout. In the second stage, the remaining participants of both groups were given Viagra-plus-therapy treatment for four weeks. Throughout, all couples were urged to have sex both with and without the drug. At the end of the study, 64% of the men and 66% of their partners reported satisfactory sex lives without Viagra.

The therapy, Banner says, taught the couples how to talk to their partners about sex. It also made both partners aware that aging men have sexual needs different from those they had when they were young: more emotional connection and more caressing.

Another tip to the men that paid off: Take the pill at night, but use it in the morning. With success comes confidence. And confidence can often stand alone.

--By Francine Russo