ArginMax, A Natural Alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy -- HRT -- for Libido Enhancement In Menopausal Women Shown to Have No Estrogen Related Hormonal Risks.

Health/Medical Writers

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--July 31, 2002

Recent scientific study pointing out the risks of hormone replacement has millions of women rethinking whether they would rather just endure their menopausal symptoms. In cases of lagging libidos, however, medical research has found that there may be an important alternative to hormonal treatment.

According to a 1999 survey published in JAMA, female sexual dysfunction -- low libido, slow arousal, difficulty reaching orgasm and painful intercourse -- occurs in about 43 percent of women, greater than the occurrence of sexual dysfunction in men, which is 31 percent.

ArginMax(R) For Women has been shown to significantly improve women's sexual desire and overall satisfaction proven in a landmark clinical study. The study, A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of ArginMax, A Nutritional Supplement for Enhancement of Female Sexual Function is published in the peer-reviewed, Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy (27:541-549, 2001), and The Journal of Women's Health and Gender-Based Medicine (11 (3):319, 2002).

In addition, a study was conducted by Richard Hochberg, Ph.D., an expert in Steroid Hormone Biochemistry and Professor at the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Yale University Medical School to determine if ArginMax(R) has any estrogenic activity.

The possibility of estrogenic activity in a nutritional supplement is of important concern because estrogen has been linked to tumor development in both uterine endometrium and breast tissue and is widely used in oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapies for women.

Ishikawa cells, a human endometrial adenocarcinoma cell line which contains an alkaline phosphatase enzyme sensitive to estrogen stimulation, were used in the bioassay to determine whether ArginMax(R) contains estrogenic components. Even at high concentrations of 185 (micron)g/ml, an amount that exceeded the minimally effective dose of estradiol by a factor of 1,000,000, ArginMax(R) showed no signs of estrogenic activity.

The study conducted on ArginMax(R) for Women is the first of its kind for a nutritional product in the sexual health category. In the study, 108 women, ages 22-73, enrolled as participants lacking in sexual desire. Following a double-blind placebo-controlled design, neither the women volunteers nor the investigators knew who was getting the nutritional supplement or the placebo. Of the 108 women, 55 received the nutritional supplement and 53 received placebo. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to evaluate the level of sexual health before starting, and after completing the four-week long study. At the end of four weeks, 72 percent of the pre-menopausal women increased in the levels of sexual desire (statistically significant at p=0.03) and 68 percent increased in satisfaction with overall sex life. Among the peri-menopausal women, 79 percent increased in satisfaction with sexual relationship (statistically significant at p=0.03) and 64 percent improved in vaginal dryness and degree of clitoral sensation. Eighty-six percent of the women in the peri-menopausal group improved in the frequency of sexual activities compared to 17 percent in the placebo group (statistically significant at p less than 0.01). Fifty percent of the women in the post-menopausal group increased in sexual desire, compared to the 8% in the placebo group (statistically significant at p less than 0.01).

ArginMax(R) for Women, a scientifically validated nutritional supplement for optimization of female sexual health, contains L-arginine, ginseng, ginkgo, damiana, multi-vitamins and minerals. The mechanism of action for ArginMax(R) is believed to involve a central feedback loop coupling enhancement of peripheral circulation and the stimulation of libido by the brain.

"With no negative side effects reported, the supplement is clearly an option for some women," says Mary Lake Polan, MD, PhD, MPH, Chair and Professor, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Stanford University School of Medicine. Women who suffer from sexual dysfunction should first talk to their doctor before taking a nutritional supplement, she advises. There may be a physical reason a woman is experiencing pelvic pain or vaginal dryness, for example, and both of these problems can be treated medically. Or there may be a relationship issue, in which case, counseling, rather than a nutritional supplement, would be prescribed.

"We still don't have a magic bullet," Polan notes. "But, ArginMax does give women more choices."

ArginMax(R) is a proprietary nutritional supplement with an issued patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. ArginMax(R) is available nationwide in leading drug stores, GNC, online at www.arginmax.com, or at 1-866-GO-WOMAN.