Well, the Thanksgiving holiday is now past. We had my son here from Wednesday evening until Sunday afternoon. That caused some challenges for my exercises as I use many parts of the house. I’m surprised it has only taken until today to get back on routine.
I’m not sure I have as much information to share today as I have questions. I watched a video from Sexology Institute a little while back. I blogged about some of what I learned already, but there was so much in that slightly over an hour of Q & A. I haven’t really blogged much about women’s challenges yet. I am thinking back to when I started this project. I was questioning information I was finding about ways to keep testosterone levels up in older men. It seemed the studies I could find of herbal methods were behind walls on sites requiring a subscription. The one I did find only had a few participants.
The video mentioned some studies of long term results of some therapies for women as age causes challenges. They stated these studies aren’t given much notice in the USA as policy is set in terms of these therapies. I can understand the FDA being cautious but either they or the news media seem bent on making everyone afraid of anything new. I have developed this opinion in part from articles like “FDA warning on vaginal laser procedures should emphasize informed choices, not fear” published in August by Harvard Medical School.
The FDA came out with a harsh warning about Testosterone Replacement Therapy, there is a harsh warning about Hormone Replacement Therapy for women, and now a stern warning about using laser procedures for vaginal problems. My wife has a favorite author that insisted on HRT even when doctors were advising her against it. Her symptoms were such that she really needed the help. Her doctor put her on the lowest dose that would maintain her quality of life but she was receiving some help.
It seems the laser procedures are facing a similar situation. That anyone receiving a therapy should choose to do so in an informed manner should be obvious. That the media and FDA should word things in ways to scare them from the help they could receive is just wrong.
It could be that some new therapy or procedure could help 99% of those that receive it. Should it be thrown out if the 1% would have no help and some uncomfortable side effects? I would think ways to screen for that 1% should be found. Until then everyone should be warned what to watch for but to scare people away from it would be wrong. Now the numbers of problems and the concerns are greater than my example, but the approach should be similar. Inform those seeking the treatment of success rates, of potential problems, and let them choose.
Not everyone has the time to research these things. We rely on our doctors to keep current, we rely on organizations like FDA to provide balanced, scientifically based information, not scare us away from something that can help. Both the article and video mention International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health as a source of information. They also have a provider search on their page to help you find someone keeping up to date on information.
From the video and the article it seems there is some help for some of the problems women’s sexual health faces. There are so many good things that come from a healthy sex life that there shouldn’t be any problems with seeking help when problems arise.
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