Why sexual wellness products help with better sex

Store shelves lined with menstrual products, condoms, and pregnancy tests have rapidly grown to include sex toys, lubricants, vaginal sprays, and sexual enhancement supplements. Higher-end retailers like Sephora, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdales have recently begun promoting female sexual wellness products.   

 

About 51% of sexual wellness revenue comes from online shopping [source], which means buying sexual wellness products is easier than ever before⸻and from the privacy of your own home! Read on to discover what sexual wellness products are, what’s driving the market, and why sexual enhancement supplements can help you have better sex.

 

What are sexual wellness products?

Sexual wellness products help make sex and sexual experiences better, protect or maintain sexual health, and prevent pregnancy. Whether you’re looking for a menstrual cup, heated lube, or textured condoms, store shelves today have many eye-catching items for your health and enjoyment.

 

• Contraceptives and condoms
• Sexual ointments and lubricants
• Sex toys, devices, and pleasure aids
• Vaginal health products
• Family planning items (pregnancy tests, menstrual supplies)
• Sexual enhancement supplements and drugs

 

Why are sexual wellness products essential?

Sexual health problems are on the rise. There were 67.6 million sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the U.S. in 2018, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, syphilis, genital herpes, human papillomavirus, sexually transmitted hepatitis B, and sexually transmitted HIV [source]. What’s more, is the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in American men and women is also increasing. 

 

Sexual wellness products are essential to keeping individuals and communities safe and healthy. They’re the only way people can protect themselves from sexual diseases, properly plan for families, treat sexual health issues, improve well-being and quality of life, and enjoy stress-free sex. 

 

If you’re looking to improve your sex life with sexual wellness products, you may be considering sexual enhancement supplements.

 

 

Sexual enhancement supplements

The sexual enhancement supplements market in the US was valued at $160 million in 2018 and will continue to grow [ source]. Adults look to sexual enhancement supplements to help get an erection, improve hormones, increase sex drive and have more satisfying sex overall. Sexual enhancement supplements include prescription drugs and natural alternatives. 

 

Prescription drugs  

If you’re a male and have difficulty getting it up (aka erectile dysfunction), your doctor has recommended  phosphodiesterase-5 enzyme inhibitors (PDE-I). PDE-1 are sexual enhancement drugs commonly prescribed as tadalafil, vardenafil, or sildenfil⸻infamously known as Viagra [source]. 

 

Viagra became available to men in 1998, but nothing was available to women [source]. Then in 2015, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved flibanserin, a drug for women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). If you’re wondering what HSDD is, it’s a disorder that causes women to have little to no interest in sex. As the first drug of its kind, flibanserin has shown severe side effects, and the drug's safety isn’t well understood [source][source]. The FDA presented another sex-boosting drug for women with HSDD,  bremelanotide, in 2019 [source]. For those nervous about the safety of prescription drugs,  natural alternatives may be more appealing.

 

Natural alternatives

Curiosity, pleasure-seeking, or frustration have driven people to seek sexual solutions long before modern medicine. Ancient Chinese, Roman, Egyptian, ad Hindu cultures looked to plants, herbs, and animal parts for help with sexual function [source]. 

 

Natural alternatives or natural sex enhancers are known to play roles in improving sexual health through enhancing libido, increasing blood flow, and making sex more pleasurable [source]. Some examples of these natural sex enhancers are ashwagandha, epimedium (horny goat weed), Panax ginseng, damiana, maca, and Muira puama. 

 

Benefits of opting for natural alternatives

 

They may help overall health

In sexual health, ashwagandha, an herb common to Ayurvedic medicine, has been shown to help increase sexual desire in women and sperm quality in men [source][source]. Plants and herbs contain many nutrients and antioxidants, so their benefits go beyond sexual health. For instance, ashwagandha may help reduce stress by lowering cortisol (a stress hormone) levels and may improve sleep and anxiety [source][source]. 

 

Natural alternatives may also help bring more perspective to whole body health. They may cause you to consider improving your eating habits, smoking, alcohol, exercise, and sleep habits to help boost sexual health. 

 

They help avoid the side effects of prescription drugs

In a 2015 survey of 26,157 adults, 35% took at least one herbal medicine [source]. People seeking herbal medicine or natural alternatives may be looking to avoid side effects associated with traditional prescription drugs [source]. Some may look to natural remedies to avoid potential adverse reactions common to prescription drugs.

 

You may have more privacy

Only 10% of men worldwide are looking for treatment for erectile dysfunction. Why? The answer isn’t clear but may have to do with shame and stigma surrounding sexual performance. Low sexual performance and low sexual desire may cause embarrassment, so men and women may feel more comfortable seeking natural alternatives in private.

 

They’re easy to access

With natural alternatives for sexual health, there’s no need to wait in long lines at the local pharmacy. They’re widely available and easy to get. Even still, it’s vital to speak with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplements. 

 

Natural alternatives come in a variety of forms

Today’s sex enhancement supplements conveniently come in various forms, including capsules, powders, and drinks. Natural alternatives make it easier for couples to better their sexual health together. It’s common for one person to take a prescription drug for sexual help, but with natural alternatives, couples get to share in their sexual health journey together, increasing closeness. Call it passion pregaming if you want, but tapping together two bottles of bido and saying cheers makes for the start of a  sexy shared experience.  

Ready for better sex and intimacy?

Increasing your inventory of sexual wellness products may be the next step on your path to improved sexual health. Check out how bido can naturally help boost your sexual health with a unique blend of nutrients to keep you happy, healthy, and horny.