Sexual health & libido
Sexual-health interventions split cleanly by evidence: the proven PDE5 and hormonal routes, a small set of centrally-acting peptides with real (if narrower) data, and a long tail of libido claims that outrun the science. Here is where each actually stands.
Central & peptide options
The brain-level and peptide approaches to desire and arousal.
PT-141 (bremelanotide): the evidence on a peptide that is actually FDA-approved
Bremelanotide (Vyleesi) is FDA-approved for HSDD in premenopausal women, with phase-3 trial evidence. A straight read of what's proven — and where off-label use goes beyond it.
Kisspeptin: real reproductive-axis science, unproven as a sold therapy
A genuine human hormone atop the testosterone axis, with serious early human research — but the marketed libido and T-booster products are off-label extrapolations at unestablished doses.
Oxytocin: real science, oversold claims
The 'bonding hormone' has a huge human literature — and its most famous findings largely failed to replicate. A straight read of where the evidence stands.
Melanotan II and Libido: The Erection Side Effect That Became a Drug
Melanotan II was built to tan skin — but its accidental effect on erections and desire, acting centrally via MC4R, is why the FDA-approved libido drug bremelanotide (PT-141) exists.
Erectile dysfunction
The ED-specific options — from centrally-acting drugs to the botanical claims.
BPC-157 and Erectile Dysfunction: Separating the Claims from the Evidence
BPC 157 is marketed for 'blood flow' and, by extension, erections — but the entire claim rests on animal mechanism with zero human sexual-function data.
Apomorphine for ED: How It Works and What the Evidence Shows
A centrally-acting dopamine agonist that starts the erectile signal in the brain — its modest trial record, its withdrawn European approval, and why it still turns up in compounded telehealth combos.
Icariin and Horny Goat Weed: What the Evidence Actually Shows
A real PDE5 inhibitor in the test tube with coherent animal data — but weak potency, poor oral absorption, and essentially no rigorous human trials behind the “natural Viagra” label.
Hormonal drivers
Because testosterone and the hormonal axis underlie much of libido.
Enclomiphene, Libido, and Erectile Function: What to Expect
Enclomiphene raises your own testosterone — so it can lift libido and erections, but only when low testosterone was the cause, not for normal-T men or vascular and psychogenic ED.
TRT: what testosterone therapy is actually proven to do
An FDA-approved therapy for diagnosed hypogonadism — with real but moderate benefits (sexual function, mood; not vitality), cardiovascular non-inferiority in TRAVERSE, and a real fertility trade-off.
Foods That Increase Testosterone: What the Evidence Actually Supports
Diet raises testosterone mainly by fixing a deficiency or reversing obesity — most “testosterone food” claims are hype.
Compare ED treatment options
See the telehealth routes to ED and libido treatment, compared on what the evidence actually supports.