The emergence of the impotence drug Viagra is believed to be behind a huge increase in numbers of 30-something British men seeking sexual counselling.
For the first time, that age group of males accounts for the greatest number of clients using the services of Relate, a counselling charity.
Over the past year, Relate's sex therapists provided couples with 50,000 hours of counselling, compared with only 20,000 hours in 1996. Relate provides more sex therapy sessions than any other service in the UK.
The reasons for the dramatic rise are being attributed - at least in part - to the emergence of Viagra, the drug for erectile dysfunction, and a corresponding openness about discussing sexual problems that has followed the drug's launch.
Relate also reports that the number of couples attending sex therapy sessions has more than doubled in six years.
More than a third of all couples now seeking counselling from Relate for sexual problems are in their 30s.
In a separate survey of 500 couples who visited Relate, women were blamed in half of all cases for sexual problems suffered by couples; men were blamed in a quarter, and in the other quarter men and women felt equally responsible.
Erectile dysfunction came top of the list of sexual problems experienced by men.
The most common female problem, reported by 50 per cent of women, was lack of desire, followed by vaginismus, a medical complaint where the vaginal muscles contract and which interferes with sexual intercourse.
The number of people referring themselves to sex therapists, rather than being referred by their doctor, for example, has risen from 38 per cent in 1996 to 50 per cent over the past year. Paula Hall, a sex therapist for Relate, said couples were now less inhibited in their sex lives, which made them feel more empowered to seek advice.
But, she said, the portrayal of sex on screen and in magazines meant men and women often felt insecure that their sex lives were not good enough.
"This is probably not the case, but a sex life is a human right and often there is a medical problem which interferes with this and which can be addressed."
- INDEPENDENT
