Is this pink pill the magic bullet for women with low libido?

The psychological and social consequences of low sexual desire in women cannot be underestimated. Take the case of Rose, a 30-year-old woman who has been married for four years with two children to boot.

Rose has sex less than four times a year, when her husband forces her to. She has managed to conceive twice during those infrequent bouts, but her marriage is on the rocks because her husband believes that she no longer loves him and that she is having extra-marital affairs.

MARITAL CONFLICT

 “But all these are false allegations! I have no other lover except my husband; I just don’t feel like having sex!” she told me when she visited the sexology clinic.

Lack of sex desire, also called hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), lack of appetite for sex, or low libido, is the commonest sex problem in women. Its intensity varies from one woman to another. Its consequences are disastrous to marriages and its impact on a woman’s social wellbeing is beyond measure.

It is for this reason that scientists have, for ages, tried to come up with a drug that increases desire for sex in women. Previous research to develop such a drug yielded no tangible result, but now for the first time in history, a drug that increases libido in women has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American drug regulatory body. This happened last month.

The drug, Flibanserin has been christened the pink Viagra and it could be a game changer for most women with low sexual desire.

There are however many obstacles associated with its use: for one, it has to be taken daily for a long time before its effects can be felt; the peak of its effects are felt after eight weeks of use, and even then, only 25 per cent of women using it get positive results. And, of course, like any other medicine it has side effects which may not be desirable.

Whatever the case, Flibanserin is a step in the right direction, it is proof that at least some scientists are working to find solutions for enhancing female sex desire.

In many cultures there is a belief that good women should not desire sex and that enjoyment of sex is a domain of the menfolk. Such beliefs have previously discouraged research on female sexuality. Flibanserin opens the gates for more research in enhancing female sex desire and more drugs are likely to follow in the next few years.

LESSON LEARNT

One lesson that has come with the approval of Flibanserin is that even the medical fraternity is not excited when such a drug is approved. Many doctors in the United States have said that they will not prescribe the drug. This is the opposite of what was seen when Viagra and other drugs that enhance male sexuality were approved.

Finally, it is important to note that sex desire is a sum total of many factors. Top among these is the state of the relationship. In cases where the relationship is not working, partners are unlikely to feel like having sex with each other.

There are also a number of diseases that may impact desire for sex including imbalance of hormones in the body, depression, or even just pain during sex.

A full assessment of the causes of low libido before appropriate treatment is instituted remains important. It is hoped that when Flibanserin becomes available in pharmacies, affected women will not run to the pharmacy as the first stop to purchase their doses before a full assessment of their condition; neither are men with high libido expected to trick their women into swallowing such drugs in the hope of putting them at a vulnerable position so as to exploit them sexually.