In a Mail Online article, writer Denise Robertson questions whether having a pill women could swallow to put them in the mood for sex would be a good thing, or whether it would actually be harmful to relationships:

"Libido-boosting drugs like Viagra wrongly used divorces sex from love -- they have the potential to reduce love-making to nothing more than a cold, physical act. After all, if you can pop a pill, you can dispense with the need for the affection, friendship and comfort that make up a truly fulfilling love-life. If you want the best sex, foreplay is a 12-hour commitment -- you need to spend all day every day cherishing the object of your desire so that they feel important -- and feel desire in return.'

She also argues that women who can't get turned on often have psychological issues they should deal with, and masking the symptoms of their problems doesn't treat the cause. Do you think a "female Viagra" would help relationships, or would it turn lovemaking into nothing more than a physical activity?

London ice cream parlor The Icecreamists has found a way to get customers hot and bothered while they chill out with sweet treats. When the shop opens in Selfridges, a London department store, this fall, they’ll be dishing out “The Sex Pistol,” a Viagra-like ice cream. It’s bright green and contains penis-pumping herbal supplements like ginkgo biloba, arginine, and guarana. There’s a shot of La Fee Absinthe in there, too. The price, nearly $20 per drink, is sure to you make your wallet shrink. When will they make a version for the ladies?[NY Daily News]

Most women, at some point in their lives, have tried to get with a guy whose equipment didn’t work. And if she loved him, or even liked him enough to make another date, she probably didn’t take a sledge hammer to his ego. But that probably didn’t stop him from beating himself up and considering some drastic measures to make sure his Johnson stands at attention when desired. After the jump, the drastic things men will do to get and stay hard.

How does Grandpa keep Grandma wrapped around his finger after all these years? With this ring for the family jewels. The gold band looks like your average man hand accessory, until you pop the onyx top and find the perfect hiding place for that little blue pill, Viagra. Hey, why let erectile dysfunction get you down, when this stylish piece can keep it up?

In this economy, a lot of people are suffering, but at least one corporate giant doesn’t think our sex lives should. Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced it will give “free prescription drugs—including its anti-impotence drug, Viagra—to people who no longer have jobs and health insurance.” Pfizer is offering about 70 other prescription drugs, which will all be available for free for up to a year to anyone who has been laid off since January 1st. But sorry, guys — to qualify, you need to have already been taking the drugs before you lost your job. [via NYDailyNews]

Representative Jim Moran has a problem with erectile dysfunction. We’re not sure whether he suffers from ED, but he doesn’t like those TV ads for Viagra and Cialis. Last month, this Virginia democrat introduced a bill that would prohibit any ED ads from airing on broadcast radio and TV between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. because they’re “indecent.” Moran says he has had a number of people tell him they’re tired of having to explain to their young kids what erectile dysfunction is whenever one of the commercials comes on TV. One CNN.com reader commented that the ads don’t just make for uncomfortable conversations with children: “It is not only for the children and young people, but it is also embarrassing for mixed company adults. Not only is it embarrassing, those love scenes of planned sex have made me sick of sex.” Keep reading to watch a sampling of ED ads, then tell us whether they make you squirm. [CNN]

Researchers from Texas A&M University have found that women who do resistance exercises and take oral contraceptives don’t seem to gain as much lean muscle as those who aren’t on the Pill. [Medical News Today]—This could explain why my arms aren’t exactly ripped.

If you weren’t planning on heeding our advice about getting screened for STDs regularly, the CDC reports that fewer than half of at-risk women in the U.S. are getting screening for chlamydia. While 47 percent is a lot better than 25 percent, it’s not enough. Chlamydia is the most common bacterial STD in the U.S. [Reuters]

Male sexual dysfunction drugs might help women with comparable problems. Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia tested Viagra, Levitra, and Cialis on female rats and found they helped with sexual dysfunction. [MSNBC]—But what works on rats doesn’t necessarily work on humans, so don’t pop any of your boyfriends pills just yet.

Who is Amber Rose? She’s the chick everyone is talking about because she was walking around half naked while shopping with boy toy Kanye West. She does have a good body though. If I were her, I’d be half naked all the time too. [The YBF]

The airlines are charging us for everything nowadays. One European airline is about to make us pay extra to use the bathroom aboard the plane. You’re screwed if you don’t have any money. [Holy Moly]

Now is the time to go shopping to update the spring wardrobe. The one must-have item in your closet this season is the denim pencil skirt. [Refinery 29]

A field guide to the metrognome. [Jezebel]

Wendy Whitaker was deemed a sex offender 10 years ago for giving her 16-year-old boyfriend a blow job when she was 17. Now, she and her husband are being evicted from their home because it’s near a school. [College Candy]

A list of the seven most annoying people at Thanksgiving dinner. [Holy Taco]

 

Kanye West was arrested again for assaulting a paparazzo in the U.K. You “Can’t Tell [Him] Nothing.” [What Would Tyler Durden Do?]

Rachel Maddow will not let Sarah Palin eff with bloggers. [Feministing]

Are there any names that are a total dealbreaker for you? [Jezebel]

While Viagra is an invention that has helped grandpa’s around the country get it back up for their spouses, nurses, and right hands, it now may be able to help women too! A recent eight-week experiment, funded by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, followed 98 women who were having trouble orgasming due to antidepressant medication.  They were given Viagra and asked to have sex once a week with the pill’s aide.  Seventy-two percent of the girls gave the erectile dysfunction drug the thumbs up! Although it didn’t increase their libido, the ladies reported that it did help them climax. But the findings certainly have some critics—27% of the women in the control group who were given a placebo pill also reported satisfaction. However, despite shelling out cash for the study, Pfizer says it will not seek FDA approval for females to use Viagra, since it concluded in 2004 that there were no explicit benefits. If you’re still searching for a pick me up that’ll work with your anti-depressant, there’s a clitoral therapy device approved by the FDA already, and libido enhancing LibiGel is currently being tested. It looks like women will have plenty of options without having to pop pills like Bob Dole. [Orlando Sentinel]

A nudist resort in France had to get special permission from the government to keep a blacklist of guests forbidden from visiting. [Reuters]

Two dogs trained to have sex with women have been deemed adoptable and are waiting for new owners at an animal sanctuary in Tulsa, OK. [CBS News]

Women taking antidepressants might find that taking Viagra can enhance their sex life, according to a study published in JAMA. [Medical News Today]

Watermelon is the new Viagra, only with seeds! [Asylum]

Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves named their little baby boy Levi. Sigh. Cooter Adonis was sooo much cuter. Oh well. [DListed]

Peephole panties offer “butt cleavage.”[Tango]

What to expect at sex therapy. [Dear Sugar]

How to navigate the bar like, uh, one of The Frisky editors. [Shine.Yahoo]

Get ready to pay for pricey bottled water—it’s summer music festival season! [Matador Nights]

Can Madonna spin her way out of this latest mess? [Showbiz Tonight]

When premenopausal women sprayed testosterone on their stomachs as part of a study, they didn’t become hyper-sexual beasts. Some had slightly better sex lives, however unwanted hair growth where they sprayed the stuff was pretty common. The search for the female Viagra continues… [NY Times]

Let’s talk about sex, baby. Sex after menopause—even our girl boners go limp. So it’s no wonder women have been clamoring for a “female Viagra” ever since the male version came out a decade ago. While 43% of women complain about some type of sexual dysfunction, from painful intercourse to the inability to climax, women don’t like to kiss and tell at their annual gynecological visit. So for decades, the issue of female arousal has been brushed off as not being serious enough for the medical establishment. Talk about a double standard! But finally science is ready to rise to the challenge and take the diss out of sexual dysfunction with the first group dedicated to the dilemma: The Female Sexual Medicine Program at the Stanford University Clinic & Hospital. The research team is headed up by a woman, founder//director Dr. Leah Millheiser, M.D., and she knows it takes more to uncork a woman than opening a bottle of champagne and a little blue pill. “Women are becoming more empowered about sexual dysfunction,” said Millheiser. “They are seeing sex as a quality-of-life issue, not just a health issue.”  Thank goodness, help is on the way for our golden years! [New-Medical.net]

On Thursday, the little blue pill, which has been used by 35 million men around the world, turns 10, so put on a party hat and celebrate.

Originally, doctors were testing the active ingredient in Viagra, sildenafil, as a cardiovascular drug that lowered blood pressure. But the men in those trials found that side effects of taking the drug included having erections that were firmer and longer-lasting, and they didn’t want to give back the medication.

Passover is a spring time Jewish holiday that commemorates when my people sprung from slavery in Egypt by not allowing us to eat leavened bread products. In addition to being deprived of everything from delicious bagels to even the sprinkles on ice cream, devout tribe members have not been allowed to take Viagra since its introduction in 1998, on account of the little blue pill’s gelatin casing isn’t Kosher. Now, building pyramids sounds hard, but eight days without sex sounds really unfair! However, after a decade in the desert, there’s finally hope women will be screaming “Oh God!” through the holiday. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals in Israel is switching its gelatin-encasing recipe to keep the men Kosher for Passover. So while you’re not able to eat bread that rises, you will still able to get a rise out of your mensch. [BBC]

American Idol judge Simon Cowell turned down an offer to be Viagra’s spokesperson, according to the British edition of Glamour. He also acknowledged that he uses Botox to maintain his face, calling it “no more unusual than toothpaste.” [NY Daily News]

Mothers tend to discuss twice as many sexual topics with with their children as fathers do, according to a report published in Pediatrics. [Reuters]

Male spiders who play dead double their chances of getting lucky, according to a study in Behavioral Ecology. The spiders studied all tried attracting partners by offering food held in their mouths, but the ones who laid flat and motionless were in a better position for sex, literally. This is the first time researchers have observed creatures “playing dead” as a way to get sexual favors. [AFP]

Got cramps? Acupuncture might help reduce the pain without the side effects associated with pills, according to a new German study. Hopefully reworking your qi will make you less cranky, as well. [Reuters]

An ad for a sports broadcaster that refers to a woman’s breasts as “puppies” has been cleared by an advertising watchdog. The ad depicts a man telling Santa Claus what he wants for Christmas, as one of “Santa’s helpers” looks on. The man looks at the woman’s breasts and says, “Couple of puppies,” then an announcer says, “...Give him what he wants this Christmas.” [Digital Spy]

A man who took too much Viagra (that he bought on the Internet, mind you) claims he has only been able to see the world in shades of blue, a known possible side effect, for the past two weeks. “I admit I ignored the advice on the packet. I was having too much fun,” he said. “But I’d give up all the sex in the world to be able to see a red letterbox again.” [Telegraph, U.K.]

Being a combat pilot in the Israeli Army is a tough job, but it’s about to get harder. Military officials are considering dispensing the wonder-woody drug, Viagra, to the elite division of their air force. Studies have shown that Viagra helps performance at high altitudes because it counteracts dizziness caused by high blood pressure in the lungs when there’s a shortage of oxygen. But will the blue pill leave these boys blue-balled? We’d do our part to help out, in the name of democracy, of course. [News.com.au]