Half of South African women are not happy with their sex lives. And the men are not far behind, says a new global study on sex.
Forty-five percent of South African men and 51% of the women are not fully satisfied with their sex life. This startling revelation forms part of the Pfizer Global Better Sex Survey (GBSS) results, which were unveiled in Cape Town today.
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The GBSS survey indicates that South Africa is consistent with the global trends that show that one in two men and women around the world are not fully satisfied sexually.
One of the largest global surveys of its type, the GBSS included interviews with 12,563 men and women in 27 countries. The survey was commissioned by Pfizer to quantify sexual satisfaction whilst gaining an insight into the unmet sexual needs and aspirations of participants. .
Lack of satisfaction
A keynote finding of the GBSS reveals that 50 percent of males and females interviewed globally are not fully satisfied with their sex lives.
When questioned, 62 percent of men also said they are interested in improving their sexual experience. More than 80 percent of South African male respondents would be willing to take medication if it would improve their sexual satisfaction.
Interestingly, the survey makes no clear link between sexual satisfaction and frequency of sex. As an example, while men in both Brazil and South Africa have a similar frequency of sex, (around seven sexual episodes a month), men in Brazil are 71 percent satisfied with their sexual experience while this figure falls to 55 percent satisfaction in South Africa.
<>Furthermore, 33 percent of people surveyed reported not having enough sex. According to the GBSS, Mexicans take the number one spot as the most sexually satisfied country (75 percent are fully satisfied), and only have sex 6.6 times a month. In contrast, South Africans show only a 55 percent satisfaction.
Revealing the secret of better sex
Dr Ezio Baraldi, President of the South African Sex Association (SASHA) says that “Sex is very important to both men and women around the world and erection quality and hardness is a significant component of this. This survey has also highlighted many of the issues that couples are reluctant to discuss in their relationships.
Baraldi says that there appears to be a link between the GBSS findings and new clinical studies that suggest a lack of complete sexual satisfaction in some male respondents may be driven by physical as well as psychological factors. By addressing these ‘physical’ attributes, Dr Baraldi believes couples can be helped to achieve greater sexual satisfaction.
"The GBSS is very important because, for the first time, it reveals the extent of sexual dissatisfaction experienced by couples around the globe," said Dr Rosie King, an eminent Australian sex therapist, and expert consultant to the GBSS project.
Furthermore, the GBSS highlights the significant correlation between the hardness of erection and the level of sexual satisfaction. According to the results of the survey hardness of erection is as important as the ability to achieve and maintain an erection – all of which are important to an enhanced sexual experience.2
“The GBSS results are reinforced by a new Quality of Erection (QEQ) study, which found male satisfaction with erection hardness to be a key driver to overall sexual satisfaction,” Dr. King said. “These studies suggest that a lack of sexual satisfaction may be directly linked to sub-optimal erection quality and that improving erection quality may enhance sexual satisfaction for both the man and his partner.”
Desire to improve
The GBSS underlines the social significance of sex with results revealing that 91 percentage of male respondents and 85 percentage of female respondents globally, believe good sex is essential to a happy marriage or relationship.
Further to this, the survey also reveals a desire amongst many couples to improve their sex life. With the QEQ study showing that improving erection quality may enhance sexual satisfaction. The GBSS reveals that globally more than three quarters of men would be willing to take a prescription medication to improve their erections, with their partners supporting this decision.
Khanyisile Mzolo, Medical Physician at Pfizer South Africa, says “The GBSS shows that sexual satisfaction is important to couples throughout the world. However, the study also shows that there is room for improvement, since one in two men are not fully sexually satisfied and one in four wants to achieve better sex. We now also know that men and their partners globally rate hardness of erection as the most important attribute to enjoying a good sexual experience.”
“Based on the GBSS and other studies, there is a clear correlation between hardness of erection and better sex. There are some men having sex who would not be traditionally classified as having erectile dysfunction (ED) but who experience sub-optimal erections that prevent them from having a fully satisfied sex life.”
“We at Pfizer know from our studies that PDE-5 treatment delivers harder erections, and improves QEQ scores three fold in men with ED. In addition, harder erections achieved through treatment are positively correlated with improvements in sexual confidence, self esteem and partner satisfaction.”
Notes
1. Global aggregate data was calculated from the average of 6 main markets (US, UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain) which account for 75% of the ED market
2. When rating the importance of hardness of erection for achieving good sex, the global score was 3.5 whilst the global score for achieving and maintaining one was also 3.5. The importance was measured on a scale of 1-4 with 1 = not at all important and 4 = very important
3. The Quality of Erection Questionnaire (QEQ) is an easy to administer tool which that will help physicians better assess erection hardness via 6 simple questions
4. Editorial comment made by Dr Ezio Baraldi. This is not a statement made by Pfizer and is not reflective of company opinion at Pfizer.
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