Living with libido loco? A woman’s sexual desire fluctuates over the years. Highs and lows are normal but if a person experiences a persistent or recurrent lack of interest in sex, there might be a problem.
Lost sex drive is not all in our heads. Female hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) may occur in up to one-third of adult women in the US. The essential feature of the condition is a scarcity of sexual fantasies and desire that causes marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.
TREATMENT FOR SEXUAL DESIRE DISORDER
Several factors impact on the various components of sexual desire in women – ranging from menstrual cycles, hormonal contraceptives and postmenopausal states. The disorder is usually not due to a co-existing medical or psychiatric condition or even with problems within the relationship taking their toll in the bedroom. It generally occurs regardless of a person’s type of sexual activity, the context or sexual orientation. And this is scary.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a novel drug to treat sexual desire disorders in women.
CAN SEXUAL DISORDERS BE CURED BY POPPING A PILL?
“Today’s approval provides women distressed by their low sexual desire with an approved treatment option,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
“The FDA strives to protect and advance the health of women, and we are committed to supporting the development of safe and effective treatments for female sexual dysfunction.”
The drug called Addyi will be available through certified health care professionals and certified pharmacies, according to FDA.
Sex psychologist Sheryl Kingsberg, believes that putting the desire back in women’s sex lives requires more than one treatment approach to fix the problem.
“For women, it is much more complex. They’re not just complaining of one plumbing problem”, Shifren told Web MD. “Although we would love to simplify it so we could have the one-two or even a one-punch treatment, it doesn’t tend to work that way.”
THE FEMALE VIAGRA ERA
Phyllis Greenberger, MSW, president of the Society for Women’s Health Research says although more women report sexual problems than men, research and treatment still lags behind.
But as this new drug shows, research into women’s sexual function is slowly catching up in the era.
What do you think of treatments for sexual desire disorders? Share your views in the comments section below.
