Drug companies are looking for a female equivalent of Viagra to treat flagging libido in women.
March 3, 2005 (Press Release) --
As a sex columnist for 20 years, Valerie Gibson said she gets hundreds of e-mails every month from men complaining about their wives' low sex drives.
"'How can I make her interested in sex? We used to have a great sex life,'" Gibson said. "I get that all the time."
The problem isn't rare, said Dr. Stephen Holzapfel of Sunnybrook and Women's College Hospital in Toronto.
"About one-third of women feel they have decreased desire and that goes across the spectrum, from young women in their late teens to early 20s, through to women past menopause," said Holzapfel, the hospital's director of sexual medicine counselling.
At least 12 drug companies are trying to medicalize low libido in women and develop treatments.
One company thought it had found a solution in a patch that delivers a steady dose of testosterone into the bloodstream. Some experts believe many women who lack desire have low levels of testosterone, which is usually considered a male hormone.
The patch seemed to make a difference for some couples, including women who've had a hysterectomy.
An advisory panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, though, wasn't impressed. In December 2004, panelists concluded the benefits were modest and they needed long-term safety data on testosterone before recommending approval.
Dr. Stephen Holzapfel
Holzapfel, who prescribed testosterone pills and creams to a select group of female patients, said he's disappointed with the panel's decision.
"The testosterone didn't just help sexual desire," said Holzapfel. "It helped her arousal, it helped her sensation of orgasm, her overall sense of being alive."
Not every woman with a low libido has a medical problem. Often there's a psychological component.
"The woman has to be wooed," said Gibson. "The woman has to be played with, if you like, and brought to a climax. It takes a longish time. For men, very fast."
The pharmaceutical industry sees a huge market for a female Viagra. Companies continue to look for a hormonal magic bullet in their laboratories that isn't linked to increased rates of heart disease and breast cancer.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/02/14/libido-female050214.html
"'How can I make her interested in sex? We used to have a great sex life,'" Gibson said. "I get that all the time."
The problem isn't rare, said Dr. Stephen Holzapfel of Sunnybrook and Women's College Hospital in Toronto.
"About one-third of women feel they have decreased desire and that goes across the spectrum, from young women in their late teens to early 20s, through to women past menopause," said Holzapfel, the hospital's director of sexual medicine counselling.
At least 12 drug companies are trying to medicalize low libido in women and develop treatments.
One company thought it had found a solution in a patch that delivers a steady dose of testosterone into the bloodstream. Some experts believe many women who lack desire have low levels of testosterone, which is usually considered a male hormone.
The patch seemed to make a difference for some couples, including women who've had a hysterectomy.
An advisory panel for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, though, wasn't impressed. In December 2004, panelists concluded the benefits were modest and they needed long-term safety data on testosterone before recommending approval.
Dr. Stephen Holzapfel
Holzapfel, who prescribed testosterone pills and creams to a select group of female patients, said he's disappointed with the panel's decision.
"The testosterone didn't just help sexual desire," said Holzapfel. "It helped her arousal, it helped her sensation of orgasm, her overall sense of being alive."
Not every woman with a low libido has a medical problem. Often there's a psychological component.
"The woman has to be wooed," said Gibson. "The woman has to be played with, if you like, and brought to a climax. It takes a longish time. For men, very fast."
The pharmaceutical industry sees a huge market for a female Viagra. Companies continue to look for a hormonal magic bullet in their laboratories that isn't linked to increased rates of heart disease and breast cancer.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/02/14/libido-female050214.html
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