In recent months there has been media coverage of a drug some newspapers referred to as 'pink viagra'. A pill that can increase a woman's sex drive sounds like an interesting concept and sex does seem to sell newspapers, but many people commented that this was perhaps the wrong way to go about solving the problem.
When the FDA’s advisory panel rejected the drug Flibanserin, which is designed to tackle Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) in women, Dr Petra Boynton was pleased with the result. Questioning the quality of the research undertaken by the company behind Flibanserin, and their marketing of the drug, Dr Boynton said:
"Helping women involves highlighting the wide range of reasons they may experience problems with sex, the different solutions to those problems and to focus on educating women and their partners about the wide range of sexual experiences they may enjoy. It also means continually challenging anything that may restrict and pathologise female sexual desire."
Low libido in women can arise due to any of a number of reasons. A lack of knowledge about sex and how the female body actually works can often be an issue. Some women assume they're not experiencing desire, but perhaps it's just because they're more turned on by the very things they're just not doing with their partners? Concerns over body image don't help either, or relationship difficulties, health worries… even lack of privacy if you're sharing your living space.
Sadly many people assume that they don't need help with their sex lives and so suffer in silence. People think that sex is natural and therefore we should all automatically know how to do it. Although this may be true to a certain extent, it doesn't mean we all know how to do it well.
If you're not up for sex and feel that this is a problem for you, start by looking at any potential issues that could be behind your lack of desire. If there are no physical problems – pain during/after sex or infections – then perhaps you need to explore the psychological issues. Try a bit more romance, masturbation, erotica, or even pornography.
You won't know what works for you unless you try a few things, and waiting around for a magic pill to switch your sex drive back on isn't the healthiest way to deal with your problems.
One of the main things to bear in mind is that, despite what society may want us to believe, a low sex drive isn't strange or abnormal. Don't compare yourself or your relationship to other people – just work at finding what's right for you.
Image via amayzun's Flickr