The Good-Sex Pill

by Chris Shugart

A Non-Prescription Libido Booster for Women

Correct this common nutritional deficiency and get more action. Here's the science.

"An article for women? What is this, T Nation or E Nation?!"

I hear this every time we write something about women's fitness, and I've never understood it. Hey, maybe cut your red pill dosage in half, dudes. Information for women isn't a personal attack on your manhood.

Yes, this article is about female sexual satisfaction. Now, go with me here, guys: when a woman has a healthy sex drive, YOU are more likely to get to twist the sheets with her. So, this is indeed an article for women... but is it really?

Different, But the Same

Men and women are different. Highly controversial opinion, I know. However, in certain ways, we're very much the same.

For example, men with a vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency are more prone to sexual problems like erectile dysfunction. Give low-D men enough vitamin D and it stimulates the production of endothelial cell NOS. This causes a boost in vascular dilation and produces a better boner. Correcting a vitamin D deficiency usually increases testosterone levels, too. T is very important for TLC.

For women, vitamin D is probably more important when it comes to sex. If a female has low blood levels of vitamin D3, her desire for sex decreases. If she does work up the mojo, her overall sexual satisfaction is low.

Vitamin D and Female Mojo: The Sciency Stuff

Instead of boring you with the details of a dozen studies and systematic analyses, here's the gist:

  • Many studies use the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). It's a questionnaire that accesses six domains of sexual function: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain.
  • Problems in any of the above areas fall under the umbrella of Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). Around 43% of all women suffer from it from time to time.
  • When a vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency is corrected with supplementation, every marker on the FSFI improves. Women experience a higher libido, more lubrication, more intense and frequent orgasms, and no pain.
  • Studies have used a wide range of vitamin D dosages and treatment durations. Some use a small dose (300 IU over six months to a year.) Others use larger dosages (2000 IU daily and 50,000 IU weekly) for shorter times. As expected, larger doses work faster.

How Does That Work?

  1. Hormone Regulation: Vitamin D is essential for synthesizing sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone. Vitamin D receptors (VDRs) are actually present in the ovaries, just like VDRs are found in the testes of men. Vitamin D influences the production and regulation of testosterone, leading to increased libido and sexy-time satisfaction.
  2. Better Mood: It's difficult to get in THE mood when you're in a bad or sad mood. High vitamin D levels reduce depressive symptoms. This effect is partly due to vitamin D's role in serotonin production, a neurotransmitter crucial for mood regulation.
  3. More Blood Flow: To get the juices flowing, you have to get the blood flowing. Vitamin D helps maintain endothelial function and vascular health, important for genital blood flow. This leads to enhanced arousal.
  4. Other Effects: Reducing excess inflammation helps with sexual functioning, and vitamin D does that. It also helps alleviate some of the symptoms of menopause which can cause sexual discomfort. There's even some evidence that since vitamin D contributes to overall muscle health, a lack of it can lead to weak pelvic floor muscles. Strong pelvic floor muscles enhance sexual pleasure.

What To Take

Most current research uses standard vitamin D3, which is probably why we see so many different dosages and intervention durations. All the research is pretty positive: vitamin D supplementation improves the sex lives of women. But who wants to wait six months or more? Not women (or their husbands).

If the researchers had used the most bioavailable form of D3, the positive results would've likely kicked in sooner. Not everyone can correct a deficiency with grocery-store vitamin D. These hard-to-fix deficiencies can be caused by a lot of things, and one of them is simply genetics. (Polymorphisms in genes related to the vitamin D receptor or enzymes involved in vitamin D metabolism influence serum levels.)

However, microencapsulated vitamin D3 always does the trick. It's the most bioavailable and longest-lasting form, far superior to oil-based vitamin D supplements. We could make an educated guess that any sexual issues caused by a lack of vitamin D could be fixed sooner with the microencapsulated form. D Fix (Buy at Amazon) contains 5000 IU of this high-absorption form in every capsule.

Buy D Fix High-Absorption Vitamin D at Amazon

Based on related studies, we could also make some educated guesses about dosing:

  • Take 5000 IU daily.
  • Take a less frequent megadose, something like 15,000 IU every three to four days.

Both methods work in the long run. Of course, a blood test will really tell you what's going on:

  • Vitamin D deficiency is typically defined as having blood levels below 20 ng/mL.
  • Values from 21ā€“29 ng/mL are considered insufficient.
  • More progressive experts suggest we shoot for higher levels: 50 to 70 ng/mL.

And remember, zinc also plays a role in female sexual health. More info on that here.

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Iā€™ve heard people should take Vit D3 + K2 to ensure calcium is transported to the bones as opposed to accumulating in the arteries. Would you recommend someone take K2 along with this microencapsulated Vit D to guard against that situation?

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Thereā€™s no RDA for vitamin K in general, but most agree that 120 mcg. day for men and 90 mcg. a day for women is adequate. You can get vitamin K1 by eating certain green vegetables like spinach and broccoli. ā€œThese would theoretically thwart calcification of the arteries,ā€ the experts say. K2 is found in egg yolks, some cheeses, some cultured dairy products, and meat, so a vegan might want to supplement.

The problem with foods sources might be bioavailability, though, so I pop a Super K supplement here and there myself, just in case.

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