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Sexual Health Issues? Why You Must Advocate for Yourself · Doing Marriage Well

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  Doing Marriage Well for July 20th, 2026 Sexual Health Issues?
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  Why, You Must Advocate for Yourself My virtual pile of articles about sexual
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  health has reached a tipping point, so I will do some of them this week.
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  I want to start by helping you understand how doctors deal with sexuality, or don't deal with it.
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  As I have mentioned in the past, most doctors receive virtually no training
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  about sex. Beyond that, few will bring up the issue.
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  If you need medical help for sexual issues, you will have to advocate for yourself,
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  push a bit, and ask for referrals if you don't get what you need from your GP.
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  There's a growing interest in treating sexual issues Unfortunately,
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  much of that is done by individuals who don't have as much training as they
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  should You have the full-on charlatans who sell supplements for every conceivable
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  sexual malady These folks just want your money,
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  A real concern is that so-called supplements can contain dangerous things Many
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  over-the-counter sexual enhancement supplements contain sildenafil,
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  which is the drug in Viagra.
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  So it might help you with ED, but it might also interact with heart and blood
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  pressure medications, possibly causing dangerously low blood pressure.
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  Exact numbers are impossible, but thousands have ended up in the hospital from
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  taking sexual supplements, and as guests, hundreds have died.
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  Then there is off-label prescribing. This is a valid thing that doctors do.
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  Often it is based on good research that the FDA has not acted on yet.
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  But it means there is less testing than with FDA-approved drug prescribing And
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  no approved dosages, which makes it riskier For example, there is a growing
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  trend of prescribing testosterone for women There is good science showing this
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  can help menopausal women have increased sex drive,
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  But it can also result in side effects that are permanent Including facial hair or an enlarged clitoris.
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  Other countries, such as Australia, have tested and approved testosterone formulations
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  for women, but these are not available in the U.S. at this time.
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  There are places that specialize in providing off-label drugs for sexual health.
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  Most of them are telehealth groups who never see patients in person.
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  There is little or no screening for pre-existing conditions that could make
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  a drug dangerous for an individual.
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  Because of the way our medical system is set up in the U.S.,
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  your options are sometimes limited.
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  Bypassing your primary care doctor may be the only way to get a drug,
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  but it also puts you at a greater risk.
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  If you do this I suggest you let your doctor know what you are doing so they
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  will know and can give you testing or monitoring you won't get from the places
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  that are providing you the drug.
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  This is Paul and better sex is not worth dying for.