Use of Aphrodisiacs amongst women in Kano, northern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire. Many foods, drinks, and behaviors have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable. Men and women alike have continued to use aphrodisiacs whether or not these drugs have any scientific basis of truly improving sexual satisfaction without regards to their composition. Objective: To look at the use of medications to enhance sexual performance among women attending gynaecology clinic in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano Nigeria. Results: 500 clients were interviewed, 220 use some medications to enhance their sexual performance (44.0%). The mean age of the respondents was 27 years, SD 5.37, mean parity was 2.6 with a SD 2.43.There is a statistically significant relationship between age and parity (P=0.05). Women in monogamous relationship were found to use medication to enhance sexual satisfaction compared to those in polygamous relationship. The herbalist/traditional houses were the major source of these medications (40.96%) followed by peer influence (30.91%), while health workers contribute only 2.27%.Thirty percentof the users felt more vaginal wetness with the use of the medications, however 37% of users felt no change in sexual activity. The medications did not meet the expectations of 49% of the users. Conclusion: The major sources of such medications are the traditionalists who never disclose the constituents of such medications.