Sex toys: How can medical professionals help?

 Sex toys manufacturing industry is considered a lowbrow industry. Sex toys are considered immoral objects and its sale is also illegal in many countries of the world. But even in countries where the sex toys industry is scorned at as obscene things,  the sale of sex toys via online stores increased during the coronavirus pandemic. This implies there is a demand for these products. 

Reasons for the social stigma around sex toys

1. Improper information and wrong notions about sex toys amongst public, governments, and society.  

2. Over-claims and false claims from some of the sex toy industry manufacturers and sellers. 

3. Many governments dubbing these sex toys as immoral, indecent objects and banning their offline sales. They are considered next to porn and no efforts are made to understand their utility. 

4. Health professionals not willing to associate themselves with the sex products and industry. 

5. Some health professionals are aware that the reaction around sex toys is wrong but they remain passive on it and are unwilling to correct them. 

6. Clients not frankly approaching and asking doctors on it due to shame. Instead many prefer to go and buy the sex products without proper guidance or support of their doctors. 

Individual and society benefits of sex toys

But many dealing with the use of these products in their treatment of cases have conveyed that when they mention sex toys in their daily practice to clients needing it,  the tension in the atmosphere comes down and the air in the consulting room lightens. This us because the patient wants a discussion on sex toys but does not initiate it due to shame, fear, and ignorance. But the doctor should start the talk since he or she is aware of what hood sex toys can do in the patient's sex life. 

Sex vibrators (Source: Amazon) 

Sexual health therapists also have some tools for prescribing to their patients to improve their sex lives but these are not as attractive as the sex toys and do not come with funnily written and enjoyable to read pamphlets or brochures. Doctors should also explore this industry and see what will be good for their patients and recommend it. Introducing sex toys as a prescribed therapy can be more effective and supplement the medicines they write for the patient. The pleasure of sex could be preserved much more rather than with just medicines in clients who can be benefited with them. 

Medical uses of sex toys

1. They can provide a deeper, fuller, and more wide-ranging sexual pleasure. 

2. It can increase and hasten arousal and help erection

3. It can add variety to lovemaking

4. It can redevelop sensuality and desire

5. It can add lubrication and sensation and improve vaginal sensitivity 

6. It can increase pelvic tone

7. It can enable sexual activity in disabled people 

8. It is useful during teaching of orgasmic skills to pre-married or married couples or individuals 

Many health professionals would need to know on sex toys and these include sex therapists, sexual health educators, couple counselors, gynecologists, urologists, internal medicine doctors dealing with chronic ailments of adults, premarital counselors, medical personnel dealing with disabled people and oncologists. Customers need guidance and support and doctors need to troubleshoot any problems that arise in  of the use of sex toys as well. 

Doctors should encourage open dialogues and discussion on it with patients and remove the shame and wrong concepts associated with it. They can make things more accurate and professional. They can push the government into reconsidering lifting bans on sex toys and making their sales open both online as well as offline. Besides, knowledge about sex toys and their utility areas should be part of medical education curricula so that young doctors train out without the inhibitions of talking on them. 

Reference: Quilliam Susan. JFPRHC 2007