The female ‘Viagra’ is here

Dr Sacrifice Chirisa Mental Health Matters
About one-third (33 percent) of women between the ages of 30 and 60 years have a very difficult sexual dysfunctional problem where they struggle with low sex drive or what psychiatrists call hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). It is the most common sexual complaint among women.

These women have nothing physically wrong with their genitalia, that is, they can become aroused and have intercourse, even orgasm, but they feel no motivation to have sex. The main problem is what are known as the “desire circuits” inside their brain that are not turning on, either for their partners or even for their own fantasies.

To diagnose HSDD, the woman must:

1. Exhibit marked distress as a result of her diminished libido.

2. This also has to be an ongoing issue, not a temporary change due to life circumstances.

Most women describe losing drive to initiate sex and be an active participant in sex and find themselves doing coitus more as an obligatory participant. This leads to frustration and increases the risk of anxiety and depression. A drug that has been approved for treatment of this has been available since 2015.

The main effect is to restore the brain’s ability to inhibit the parts of the brain that normally suppress “desire circuits”. This female “Viagra,” is known by its scientific name: Flibanserin or trade name Addyi.

The female “Viagra” works quite differently from the men’s Viagra, which is a blue pill used before initiating sex and it takes care of an actual physical problem. It gives a man an erection and it allows him to keep it up during sex. The pill does not juice up his emotional appetite for intimacy. Women will have to take Addyi every night.

That’s because it doesn’t work on a physical problem, rather targets the neuro-chemicals in the brain that impact on sexual response. It is known now that it takes a lot more to turn women on in comparison to men.

The drive is to give hope to women. As I said in last week’s article, sexual health is key to the overall mental wellness of adult individuals. The suffering must be stopped.

• Dr Sacrifice Chirisa is a passionate mental health specialist at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, one of the country’s major referral hospitals.