Women suffering from sexual dysfunction reported better sex after taking a hormone treatment with oxytocin, but so did those taking a placebo, leading researchers to conclude that it all comes down to communication.
MedUni in Vienna was behind the study, which looked at 30 women taking part in an eight-month study in which they used an oxytocin nasal spray just before intercourse. Oxytocin is also called the bonding hormone and is thought to enhance sexuality.
The women kept a diary and responded to a questionnaire that tracked their sexual function, while a control group took a placebo for the same length of time.
The researchers found that while the sex lives and sexual satisfaction of the women taking oxytocin did in fact improve, so did those of the women on the placebo.
"Clearly the fact that the women thought more about their sexuality and spoke with their partners about sex during the course of the study in itself brought about measurable improvements," said project leader Michaela Bayerle-Eder, doctor of internal medicine and sexual medicine at MedUni Vienna.
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