The Viagra Myth: The Surprising Impact On Love And Relationships »

Abraham Morgentaler, M.D., F.A.C.S., is an associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School and director of Men’s Health Boston. An expert in the field of male sexual function and dysfunction, he is the author of The Male Body: A Physician’s Guide to What Every Man Should Know About His Sexual Health (1993) and has published in such prominent medical journals as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and The Journal of the American Medical Association.

In The Viagra Myth Dr. Abraham Morgentaler (a practicing urologist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School) shows us that while Viagra has proved enormously helpful to many men, it has also uncovered previously ignored aspects of identity and authenticity in sexuality and relationships. Some men, for example, may fear telling their partner they are using Viagra, yet still struggle with the hope of being loved for their true self. Women who discover their partner has resorted to a secret sexual enhancer may complain, "I thought it was me who turned you on . . ." Viagra may improve a man's sexual abilities, but there may also be a profound cost involved.
If you or your partner is using or considering Viagra, or even if you are only wondered what it might be like to have a better sex life, this book is essential reading. It will provide insight and instruction about the reality of quick-fix solutions, sexuality, personal growth, and meaningful relationships.

Publishers Weekly

Morgentaler, a practicing urologist and a professor at Harvard Medical School who has done research on erectile dysfunction, wants to explode the "notion of Viagra as an automatic solution, as the quick fix to all sexual problems." He has no problems with the millions of prescriptions of Viagra that doctors have made since the drug was introduced in 1998. But he is effective at presenting facts that are not so well known, such as that the drug works in 80% of men with performance anxiety but only two-thirds of men with other types of erectile dysfunction. What he does best, however, is to demonstrate how "a firm erection cannot solve deeper problems." Each chapter describes a situation in which a patient who thought that Viagra was the answer to his problems finds that there are other explanations. In one, a man learns that his performance problems have to do with the lack of trust he and his partner share; in another, a man who thinks that Viagra will make his sexual performance last the right time learns that "studies have shown that humans average only a minute and a half for their sexual encounters." Short bullet-point summaries of important information at the end of each chapter and an excellent section on "Frequently Asked Questions About Viagra" help make this book an important resource for both physicians and patients who are contemplating prescribing or using the drug, but who may be doing so for all the wrong reasons. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Dedication.
Acknowledgments.
Introduction.
Chapter 1: Viagra And The Perfect Cure.
Chapter 2: The Viagra Edge: Is Harder Better?
Chapter 3: Performance Anxiety and Viagra.
Chapter 4: Viagra And Desire.
Chapter 5: Viagra And Premature Ejaculation.
Chapter 6: When Viagra Doesn't Work.
Chapter 7: The Viagra Myth In Gay Relationships.
Chapter 8: Viagra and Prostate Cancer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Viagra.
Epilogue: The Future Of The Viagra Myth.