When a marriage falls apart, people seek answers. Why didn’t the relationship work? What was irretrievably broken?
Of course, the only ones who need to know the full answers to those questions are you, your spouse and perhaps your divorce attorneys. But increasingly, an unexpected culprit is being named as the impetus for a split.
Viagra
It might sound silly, but some researchers are examining whether there is a link between the erectile dysfunction drug and divorce rates.
Sexual incompatibility is a reason that leads many couples to divorce. Experts suggest that our culture is so focused on marriage as the ultimate relationship that couples may overlook a lackluster sex life because they feel compatible with their partners in so many other ways. They also might rush to the altar early in a budding relationship before realizing that the chemistry isn’t right.
So how are Viagra and divorce related to each other?
“As the prescription drug energizes tens of thousands of couples, it also destabilizes others,” a 2001 article in USA Today says. A divorce lawyer quoted in the piece further explained how Viagra could cause marital problems.
“[There are] cases of men taking Viagra, but their wives were no longer interested in sex. And now, a lot of middle-aged women are having affairs with older men who were impotent before there was Viagra,” the lawyer said.
Viagra may also play a role in sexual incompatibility because it increases a man’s sexual capabilities and stamina. What once was a satisfactory amount of sex in a relationship for both partners may suddenly become less so, leading to dissatisfaction for both people.
Obviously Viagra alone is not the root cause of divorce. Dr. Abraham Morgentaler of Harvard Medical School, who wrote a book called “The Viagra Myth,” told the U.K.’s Daily Mail that some couples are hopeful that the drug will revitalize their marriages, only to find that the improvement in their sex lives pointed out deep-seated problems that they never realized they had.
Harvard researchers also conducted a study called “Sexuality at Midlife and Beyond,” which in part examined the role that Viagra plays in overall relationship satisfaction. To read excerpts of the report, click here.
