The father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud once asked, "What does a woman want?"

The pioneering sex researcher Alfred Kinsey puzzled over women's desires.

Well, lately, if online bloggers are to be believed, one possible answer to both is: "A version of men's little blue pill (Viagra) to help ease sexual dysfunction!"

There are no medications currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration to relieve hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in women.

HSDD is defined as a deficiency or absence of sexual fantasies and lack of sexual desire that triggers distress or relationship problems. Yet it affects about 33 percent of women, perhaps because of childbirth, emotional or hormonal problems, reactions to medications, medical conditions or procedures.

Current treatment consists of a hit-or-miss collection of suggested lifestyle changes (drink less, exercise more, shed extra weight, avoid simple sugars and saturated fats, get enough sleep), treatment of medical or psychiatric issues, hormone therapy, and/or marital counseling.

But that may be changing.

On its third review of a medication for HSDD called flibanserin, the FDA's advisory committee recommended approval. It's not a new drug; it was originally used to treat depression by acting on the brain's dopamine and serotonin receptors.

How it improves HSDD is unknown. Unfortunately, it's only 10 percent more effective than placebo. So if it's ultimately approved, it's just a baby step in the right direction.


If you have HSDD, don't wait for flibanserin: Talk to your gynecologist about possible causes and ways to ease your distress.

Everyone deserves to enjoy intimacy and the physical and emotional benefits it bestows.