Product Education

Sex  toys can bring more than just benefits in the bedroom; they can also  boost your health – according to netdoctor.co.uk. Should Doctor’s stop  being shy and recommend pleasure products? Samantha Evans, a former  nurse certainly believes so. Challenging stuffy attitudes could change  people’s lives for the better.

“I have encountered several doctors  including GPs and gynecologists who will not recommend sex toys because  of their own personal views and embarrassment about sex. However, once  healthcare professionals learn about sex toys and sexual lubricants and  see what products can really help, they often change their mind.”

Samantha says increasingly doctors are  seeing vibrators as the way forward for helping people overcome intimate  health issues. Sex toys can also be beneficial for many other illnesses  too, Samantha reveals.

“Often people feel their body is being  hijacked by their illness such as cancer and being able to enjoy sexual  pleasure is something they can take back control of, beyond popping a  pill. Using a sex toy is much more fun and has far fewer side effects  than medication!”

Here are just some of the reasons it’s worth exploring your local sex shop (or browsing online) to benefit your health.

1. Great sex is good for you

One area sex toys can help with is simply making sex more enjoyable, helping couples discover what turns them on.

“Having great sex can promote health and wellbeing by improving your  mood and physically making you feel good. Using a sex toy can spice up a  flagging sex life and bring a bit of fun into your life. A sex toy will  make you feel great as well as promoting your circulation and the  release of the “feel good factors” during an orgasm.”

2. Sex toys can rejuvenate vaginas

Some of the most uncomfortable symptoms of the menopause are  gynecological. Declining levels of the hormone estrogen can lead to  vaginal tightness, vaginal dryness, and atrophy. This can lead to  painful sex and decreased sex drive.

But vibrators can alieve these symptoms (by improving the tone and  elasticity of vaginal walls and improving sexual sensation) and also  promote vaginal lubrication.

Sex toys can also be useful following gynaecological surgery or even  after childbirth to keep the vaginal tissue flexible, preventing it from  becoming too tight and also promoting to blood flow to the area to  speed up healing, says Samantha.

3. Sex toys help men too

Men can benefit from toys too, says Samantha. She says men who use  them are less likely to be burdened with erectile dysfunction,  difficulty orgasming and low sex drive.

“They are also more likely to be aware of their sexual health, making  them more likely to notice any abnormalities and seek medical advice,”  she points out.

Male products can help men overcome erectile dysfunction, following  prostate surgery or treatment, diabetes, heart disease, spinal cord  injury and neurological conditions by promoting the blood flow into the  erectile tissues and stimulating the nerves to help the man have an  erection without them having to take Viagra.

4. Sex isn’t just about penetration

There’s a reason sex experts stress the importance of foreplay. Most  women just cannot orgasm through penetration alone no matter how turned  on they are. Stimulating the clitoris can be the key to satisfying  climaxes and sex toys can make that easier. Vibrators can be really  useful for vulval pain conditions such as vulvodynia where penetration  can be tricky to achieve.

“By becoming aware of how her body feels through intimate massage and  exploration using a vibrator and lubricant and relaxation techniques, a  woman who has vulvodynia can become more relaxed and comfortable with  her body and her symptoms may lessen. It also allows intimate sex play  when penetration is not possible,” says Samantha.

5. Vibrators can be better than medical dilators for vaginismus

Vaginismus, a condition in which a woman’s vaginal muscles tense up  involuntarily, when penetration is attempted is generally treated using  medical dilators of increasing sizes to allow the patient to begin with  the thinnest dilator and slowly progress to the next size. But not all  women get on with these, reveals Samantha.

Women’s health physiotherapist Michelle Lyons, says she often tries  to get her sexual health patients to use a vibrator instead of a  standard dilator.

“They (hopefully) already associate the vibrator with pleasure, which  can be a significant help with their recovery from  vaginismus / dyspareunia. We know from the research that low frequency  vibrations can be sedative for the pelvic floor muscles, whereas higher  frequencies are more stimulating. 

After all, the goal of my sexual rehab  clients is to return to sexual pleasure, not just to ‘tolerate’ the  presence of something in their vagina!”