An Insult to Women

AN INSULT TO WOMEN

So, the US Food and Drug Administration(FDA) has approved the drug flibanserin as a treatment for what is called female hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Inevitably,it will be hyped as the female Viagra.

In men, sexual desire and performance are closely linked and Viagra can help overcome problems with the hydraulics. But in women it’s much more complicated. Female sexual complaints usually occur in the context of other physical or psychological problems and often reflect relationship and communication difficulties. Or they may be related to previous emotional or sexual abuse, the use of drugs (including prescription drugs), alcohol or smoking.

Of course, sexual difficulties in women can be distressing and are deserving of the highest levels of skill and care by doctors, psychotherapists, counsellors and others.

But to reduce women’s sexual difficulties to a discrete disease (such as appendicitis or diabetes) by calling it a “disorder”, is a gross oversimplication. Further, the prescription of flibanserin implies that it’s a brain disease in which there’s an imbalance of what are called neurotransmitters, such as dopamine or serotonin. Apart from the fact that no one has measured the levels of these chemicals in the living human brain, the chemical imbalance theory of mental illness is just that – a theory.

The FDA admits “the mechanism by which the drug improves sexual desire and related distress is not known.”In addition the effect, if any, of flibanserin in women with sexual difficultiesisdistinctly modest: the main trial result on which the FDA approval is based, claims that it “increased the number of satisfying sexual events by 0.5 to one additional event per month”. Big deal.

Then there are the side-effects: severe low blood-pressure and fainting, especially if the pill is taken with alcohol – which must be avoided for this reason. Other commonly reported adverse reactions are dizziness, sleepiness,nausea, fatigue, insomnia and dry mouth.

Reducing the complex matter of women’s sexual problems to a brain disease treatable by a drug whose mechanism is unknownis not only grotesquely unscientific – it’san insult to women.