BEIJING, Oct. 26 (UPI) — Chinese couples may be too stressed to find satisfaction in their sex lives, and few Chinese men seek Western medical treatment for erectile dysfunction.
In a survey of 72,377 respondents conducted by the Chinese Medical Association and the China Sexology Association, 38 percent of respondents said they have “healthy sex” on a regular basis, China News Network reported Monday.
The majority of respondents said their sex lives are not satisfactory. AsiaOne reported stress and depression were underlying causes for the dearth of sexual activity, and about 90 percent of those surveyed said their sex lives were an important factor in marital happiness and self-confidence.
The survey is the first of its kind to be conducted in China, and was included in a report on the sex satisfaction and knowledge of Chinese citizens, Yonhap reported.
Among the men and women surveyed, 83.5 percent of respondents said male stamina was the most important factor in sexual satisfaction. For Chinese men suffering from erectile dysfunction, 90 percent said they use traditional Chinese herbs or remedies as treatment, but only 7 out of 100 turned to Western medicine for a solution.
“Most of them feel shy about telling doctors about their problems, or are overly concerned about the side-effects of pills,” said Liu Defeng, a physician at Peking University Third Hospital.
Most Chinese respondents worried about the consequences of taking prescriptive drugs, like Viagra. Only 14 percent thought Sildenafil, the main component of Viagra, was safe to consume.
Pierre Gaudreault, chief marketing officer for Pfizer in China, said if erectile dysfunction is left untreated, though not life-threatening, the condition could “affect people’s mental and physical health, or even the happiness of their family.”
