More Research Needed To Address Female Sexual Dysfunction, Report Says

Women who experience sexual dysfunction or female orgasm disorder do not have enough treatments or medications to address the issue, according to a report published recently in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, Live Science/MSNBC reports.

According to Live Science/MSNBC, one out of every four women has trouble reaching orgasm during sex. Despite the high number of women affected by the condition, treatment can be difficult because there are few tests to diagnose the problem and few clinical treatments to address it. FDA thus far has not approved any drugs for treatment of female orgasm disorder.

In June, the drug flibanserin -- designed to treat low female libido -- was rejected by an FDA advisory panel, which said the benefits of the drug did not outweigh the risks (Pappas, Live Science/MSNBC, 7/26). In the panel's decision, FDA scientists said the drug did not show an increase in the women's libido, although some women reported an increase in their number of sexually satisfying events. The document noted that it was "not clear whether the safety and efficacy data from these trials are generalizable to the target population for this drug" (Women's Health Policy Report, 6/21).

The new report notes that a few studies found that drugs such as Viagra might show promise. However, the studies often were too small or too poorly constructed to reveal any firm conclusions (Live Science/MSNBC, 7/26).


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