Chinese erectile dysfunction

For men with ED, partners help with a cure
www.chinaview.cn 2006-03-02 08:56:25

BEIJING, March. 2 -- In a world where sex and intimacy have become increasingly separate, it is heart-warming to find one area at least where the two overlap even if it is in the decidedly un-sexy realm of erectile dysfunction (ED).

According to the results of a survey unveiled at a men's health forum in Shanghai this week, the most common influence on Chinese men who made the decision to get treatment for ED was talking the problem over with their partner.

The survey also found that, in Asia at least, as men's consideration for their partners' sexual needs increased, so did the likelihood they would seek help for ED.

Sponsored by German pharmaceutical giant Bayer, the worldwide survey questioned almost 11,000 Asian men, including more than 4,000 from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan.

Of the Chinese men over 40 interviewed, 4 per cent reported ED problems, and of those between ages of 60 and 70, 11 per cent.

Increased discussion of sex within society was evidenced in the survey as 61 per cent of Chinese men seeking treatment for ED said they were encouraged to do so by what they had seen or heard in the media or on the Internet.

But there's hint of suspicion that macho pride may have affected the survey's findings: While 16 per cent of Western subjects questioned reported ED, in Chinese subjects that figure is just 6 per cent.

Bayer has suggested the vast difference is due more to the reluctance of Chinese men to face up to the problem rather than a real variation in incidence.

The survey's results were coupled with other findings that just 37.4 per cent of Chinese men and 38.5 per cent of Chinese women are happy with their sex lives.

The figures are a marked improvement from a study last year which put the figure of sexual satisfaction at an aggregate of just 22 per cent for both sexes, but still suggests many Chinese couples have little to whoopee about.

Sex surveys in the country have been a touchy subject since a 2004 Internet based study by condom manufacturer Durex concluded Chinese people boasted an average of almost 20 sexual partners.

The result was both acclaimed as evidence of China's growing sexual liberalism and condemned as wildly inaccurate.

Last year's Durex study saw the figure cut to three partners.

Xia Guomei, a sexology expert with Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences told China Daily that many sex surveys are not conducted scientifically and are often based on subjective criteria.

"Sexual satisfaction is a feeling that is impossible to measure empirically. There are so many factors that can influence sexual satisfaction and everyone has a different frame of reference," she said.

Easy access to pornography means that more Chinese are comparing their own sex lives to what they see in explicit videos and magazines, with many feeling that reality does not live up to what they have seen, Xia explained.

"Men and women compare themselves with porn stars and as a result, they are disappointed with their own sex lives."

Xia urged ED sufferers to seek treatment as they would if any other part of their body was not working properly. She blamed the pressures of modern urban living for some problems, saying that people living in smaller towns were happier with their sex lives than those living in large cities.

And while the focus of studies has been on men's ability to perform, women can and should play a key role in improving their own and their partners' sex life, she added.

"It is impossible for a husband to have 365 new wives in a year, but he can have one wife with 365 new attractions," she said.

(Source: China Daily)

Sperm bank may reward donor 500 yuan
www.chinaview.cn 2006-02-23 15:27:20

BEIJING, Feb.23 -- The Shanghai Sperm Bank will reward 500 yuan (US$62) to donators of 50 sperm samples in a 2 to 3 month span, Shanghai Morning Post reported today.

The bank has 16,000 reserves of sperm, which is only enough to meet the needs of local infertile couples. The sperm bank's insufficiency of thousands of samples is because tens of thousands of East China's men are suffering from infertility.

Any donor who passes the first set of checks will receive a subsidy of 50 yuan, and 200 yuan for each additional donation given. If they donate 50 samples of sperm in 2 to 3 months, they will be awarded an extra 500 yuan.

The bank, located at Shanghai Renji Hospital, is also suffering from a lack of high-quality donors.

Last year, less than 2,000 men signed up for donation, and only 300 of them reached the standard. The donation process is complicated, including 18 different health checks and requires as many as 10 donations.

University students now represent 95 percent of the donor pool, but all healthy men under 40 are encouraged to give sperm. In March every year, the bank asks for donations from the city's 12 universities, but it hopes more "white collars" will get involved.

The Shanghai Sperm Bank is one of the six official sperm banks in China.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)

Moins de 40 % des Chinois satisfaits de leur vie sexuelle, selon un sondage.

Seuls 37,4 % des hommes et 38,5 % des femmes en Chine se déclarent satisfaits de leur vie sexuelle, selon un sondage sur l'attitude sexuelle des hommes asiatiques, publié récemment lors d'un forum sur la santé des hommes en Asie.

Selon ce sondage, le dysfonctionnement érectile est le principal problème sexuel rencontré et 4 % des Chinois âgés de plus de 40 ans en souffrent. Et la moitié des sondés concernés par ce problème ont une attitude négative et le cachent ou s'en plaignent.

Jugeant important de ne pas "perdre la face", seuls 6 % des Chinois souffrant de troubles érectiles recourent à un médecin, un taux inférieur à la moyenne européenne qui est de 16 %.