Exercise Before Sex Cuts Antidepressants’ Sexual Side Effects for Women

Investigators at the University of Texas at Austin found that a brief, moderate strength and cardiovascular exercise regimen preceding sexual activity was associated with improvement in sexual desire and significantly improved sexual functioning in women with more severe sexual dysfunction related to antidepressants.

Previous studies suggested that exercise has the potential to improve sexual function in depressed women who are not taking medication and that exercise prior to presentation of sexual stimuli could increase sexual arousal in healthy women.

EXERCISE IMPROVES SEXUAL FUNCTION IN WOMEN TAKING ANTIDEPRESSANTS: RESULTS FROM A RANDOMIZED CROSSOVER TRIAL, by Tierney Ahrold Lorenz Ph.D, and Cindy May Meston Ph.D. Article first published online: 1 NOV 2013