Viva Viagra, I Think

I just saw yet another installment of the seemingly ubiquitous Viagra commercials. It's the one where the husband is watching television, glances at his magazine-reading wife, tosses away the remote control, leading her to toss aside her magazines, after which they make their way up to the bedroom. Both are mature adults over 50. The wife, importantly, is a very attractive woman. She easily could be a cover girl for AARP magazine. Her physical beauty leads me to believe that the husband must definitely have erectile dysfunction. Otherwise, how could he not but get aroused for this woman?

After digesting this commercial, it made me think. Do so many American men really suffer from erectile dysfunction? Based on the frequency that these commercials air on television, one would think so. On the other hand, has anyone considered that the true underlying reason why American men have so much difficulty getting an erection is simply that they find their wives unattractive? The actual reason behind erectile dysfunction, then, may be nothing more complicated than the very real possibility that men are not turned on by their wives anymore. Looking around, very few women are actually as attractive as the television version presented by Viagra.

This possibility, of course, leads to another problem. How does a man, even with the assistance of his doctor, actually discern whether he suffers from erectile dysfunction or whether he is just not turned on by his middle-aged wife who gave up trying on her wedding gown 30 years ago?

Before I would start any prescription regimen, I would want to know for sure. What kind of conversation does a man have with his wife when confronted by this dilemma? "Honey, I know our sex life hasn't been that great lately. I want it to improve. Still, before I start taking Viagra, a prescription drug with potential side effects, I want to make sure that I suffer from erectile dysfunction rather than just being turned off by your 50 pound weight gain over the years. So, I am going to try having sex with a woman I find very attractive just to make sure it's erectile dysfunction and not something else." My guess is that this conversation would not go over very well.

So, until the drug companies come out with a pill which makes all women look attractive, viva Viagra and viva the marketing people who get to take advantage of this very real dilemma.