Women's Health
Female Sexual Dysfunction Stigma Remains
By
Mar 15, 2010 - 7:13:10 PM

No hope for a ‘female viagra’


(HealthNewsDigest.com) - Melbourne, 16th March 2010. Over 120 million women in the seven major markets, (21 million for Japan), are thought to suffer from sexual dysfunction in their lifetime. However, society and cultural barriers continue to prevent women from recognising that they have a problem and seeking help, according to latest research from independent analyst Datamonitor*.

Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of different disorders from hypoactive sexual desire disorder (low libido) and sexual arousal disorder to painful intercourse. There is often an overlap between disorders that can affect diagnosis and treatment. The non life threatening nature of the disorders means that FSD is often disregarded by the medical community. Furthermore, social and cultural barriers result in women overlooking these problems and not seeking help and treatment.

“There is a stigma associated with talking about sex, cultural embarrassment, and avoidance of discussion of sexual dysfunction in the clinical environment. All these are common barriers that prevent doctors and patients from talking about sex” comments Maya Marescotti, women’s health analyst at Datamonitor Healthcare.

In a recent US study of 198 healthcare providers it emerged that only 34% of physicians would discuss sexual health with their patients on their own initiative. An earlier US study showed that 75% of women would rather not discuss their sexual health with their physician as they thought the doctor would not be interested.

Female sexual dysfunction patients rarely receive only drug therapy. Instead psychosocial interventions are a key part of treatment of the disorder and include basic counseling and psychosexual interventions. There is only one FSD drug available in the UK in the form of Procter & Gamble’s testosterone patch called Intrinsa, which is given to women who have had their uterus and/or ovaries removed. New therapies are on the way, some of which target the psychological aspect of FSD, including Boehringer Ingelheim’s flibanserin, an oral pill originally developed as an antidepressant. Other drugs in development aim to correct the hormonal imbalances in women low libido, and include a testosterone gel called LibGel, which is applied daily to the woman’s upper arm.

“Those hoping for a ‘female Viagra’ will be disappointed. In contrast to erectile dysfunction for men, the complicated nature of FSD means that a quick fix in the form of an effective pill is very hard to achieve. Other options are available yet the challenge remains to increase the acceptance that this is a problematic issue for some women that needs to be addressed” concludes Maya.

The Datamonitor Group (www.datamonitor.com) is a world-leading provider of premium global business information, delivering independent data, analysis and opinion across the Automotive, Consumer Markets, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Logistics & Express, Pharmaceutical & Healthcare, Retail, Sourcing, Technology and Telecoms industries. Combining our industry knowledge and experience, we assist more than 6,000 of the world’s leading companies in making better strategic and operational decisions.

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