Yahoo Lifestyle Female Viagra – will it really help women?
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We were buzzing with the recent announcement of the Monash University, Vic, clinical trial of Tefina, a “female Viagra”.
The testosterone-based nasal spray is expected to change the lives of women with low libido. But some are saying sexual desire is a lot more complicated than just a hit of hormones. Our experts explore both sides.
YES
Professor Susan Davis, Lead researcher of the trial, and chair of women’s health in the School of Public Health at Monash University, Vic.
“We’re not just talking about improving sex; the way it will help women who cannot experience orgasm will be to improve their self-esteem, relationships and overall quality of life.
For our research, the ‘Viagra’ is testosterone – an essential female hormone. Oestrogen is, in fact, made from testosterone. When women with low sexual desire use testosterone daily, their arousal and ability to reach orgasm are improved. Testosterone has these effects because it influences pathways in the brain that are important for mood and sexual behaviour. It also causes blood vessels to dilate and increases vaginal blood flow. This is probably why it helps women reach orgasm.
Men use Viagra to increase their ability to have an orgasm. Testosterone use by women who cannot reach orgasm in this way has never been studied – so we can’t be sure this “Viagra” approach will work – but if it does, it will definitely help the sex lives of these women.
Inability for a woman to have an orgasm can lower self-esteem, is challenging for the partner who wants sex to be a shared pleasure and frequently causes relationship issues. By enabling you to better enjoy sexual experiences, some or all of these issues may be resolved.
There’s currently no treatment for female anorgasmia (inability to have an orgasm) and women with it are sick of being told the problem is all ‘in their head’. Just as for men, there are biological reasons why some women have difficulty experiencing orgasm. So, just as for men, women deserve the option of a treatment for this problem.”
NO
Julie Catt, Clinical psychologist specialising in sexual and mental health, couples therapist and consultant for the book Sex Lives of Australian Women.
“Tefina is basically a testosterone-based nasal spray, and while there’s no denying the intimate relationship between testosterone and desire, it’s naive to assume one medication could address the many sexual concerns couples bring into my office, or suffer through in uncomfortable silence.
For some women, the issue is as simple as anorgasmia, and for those lucky few, this medication could do the trick. For most, it’s more complicated than that, and my concern is that prescribing a nasal spray to address one small component of sex will mean the guts of the issue will often get side-stepped, just as prescribing Viagra to a man only fixes one small part of his body.
What are the guts of most sexual concerns? Communication breakdowns. Vulnerability. Anxiety. Anger. Shame. If testosterone was really the key factor in enhancing sexual intimacy in couples, I wouldn’t have the number of gay men coming in to learn how to develop or enhance their sex lives.
Sex is meaningful in relationships. When you have it, why you do it, how you do it, who initiates it, whether you do it at all – this all tells you something about your relationship.
When couples get brave and start communicating about what they need to feel desire (eg, more sleep, a back rub, a spanking) we tend to see their sexual intimacy and satisfaction increase.
Ultimately, of course, it comes down to the individual to decide whether Tefina is an appropriate treatment for you. Just don’t expect a solution to the basic relationship problem of how to create true intimacy.”
