Improve Sexual Wellbeing & Intimacy
Desire, erections, arousal, comfort, performance anxiety, communication and how medicines affect intimacy.
General information, not medical advice. Each goal page shows what helps, what to avoid, the evidence and the safety points.
Goals in this category
10 goals
Understand Changes in Sexual Desire
Interest in sex naturally rises and falls with life events, health, mood, medicines and relationships, and a lower drive is a symptom to understand rather than a fault. …
Support Healthy Erectile Function
Supporting healthy erectile function means finding out why erections have changed, looking after the heart, mood and habits that affect them, and choosing care with a cl…
Address Arousal Difficulties
Arousal is the way the mind and body get ready for sex, from feeling interested and "switched on" to physical changes such as lubrication or an erection, and when it is …
Understand Orgasm Concerns
Difficulty reaching orgasm, taking much longer than wanted, or reaching it sooner than you or a partner would like are common concerns, and most have causes that can be …
Manage Vaginal Dryness
Vaginal dryness is common and usually has a cause that can be found and eased, from simple lubricants and moisturizers to treatments a clinician can prescribe. This page…
Address Discomfort During Sex
Pain or discomfort during sex is common, it is not something you have to put up with, and it has many causes that a clinician can often identify and treat. This page is …
Manage Sexual Performance Anxiety
Worry about how you will 'perform' in bed is common, and it can take the ease and enjoyment out of intimacy for people of any gender, orientation or age. This page is ab…
Communicate More Comfortably About Intimacy
Many adults find it hard to talk about sex, desire, comfort and boundaries, even with someone they love, and large reviews of research link better sexual communication w…
Build Emotional & Physical Connection
Feeling close to a partner is about more than sex: it grows from affection, time together, feeling listened to and trying things side by side. This page is about everyda…
Understand How Medicines Affect Sexual Wellbeing
Many common medicines can change sexual desire, arousal, erections, orgasm or comfort, and these effects are real, often unreported and frequently manageable. This page …
Foods, herbs, vitamins and supplements studied for this category
Strongest evidence first. Most evidence is low, so read each page's studies and safety points.
- Pygeum Herbs
Urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate (BPH), compared with placebo
Safety first: In trials pygeum looked mild and similar to placebo for up to about 4 months; long-term and rare-event safety… - Saw Palmetto Herbs
Prostate urinary symptoms: the hexanic (Permixon) extract
Safety first: In trials saw palmetto looks as well tolerated as placebo for up to 18 months to 3 years; long-term and rare-… - Maca Herbs
Sexual desire (libido)
Safety first: Hormone-sensitive conditions: most trials show no direct hormone change, but the evidence conflicts - Stinging Nettle Herbs
Enlarged prostate (BPH): nettle root on its own
Safety first: Nettle by mouth is generally well tolerated in the studies and agency reports we read, but the evidence for l… - Tongkat Ali Adaptogens
Fatigue and ageing-male symptoms in older men
Safety first: EU food-safety experts could not establish that a tongkat ali root extract is safe - Tribulus Herbs
Erectile function in men with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction
Safety first: Rare but severe liver and kidney injury reported, with no known frequency - Ashwagandha Adaptogens
Testosterone in men
Safety first: Liver injury has been reported, and it can be serious - Fenugreek Herbs
Male libido and sexual wellbeing
Safety first: Fenugreek can make sweat, urine and breath smell of maple syrup, and can cause a false alarm for a rare newbo…