Female sexual dysfunction may be ‘all in the mind’

The hotly debated problem of female sexual dysfunction may be all in the mind according to a recent study.

In the study 35% of women with female sexual dysfunction who were given a placebo pill noticed a significant improvement in their sexual encounters. This suggests that FSD may stem from psychological causes more than physical ones.

Medical experts have debated how FSD should be defined and some have even questioned whether it is truly a definable condition.

However, there is some clinical evidence to suggest that a relatively common condition exists, which primarily affects post-menopausal women, and entails a constant and unexplainable lack of sexual desire. It may also entail symptoms such as pain during sex or vaginal dryness.

FSD can sometimes be treated using Intrinsa patches, which are designed for post-menopausal women, or those who have undergone a hysterectomy. Pharmaceutical firms have been striving to discover a ‘female Viagra’; one possible candidate for a while was Filbanserin, a drug that was initially trialled as an anti-depressant, but which was showed to have a libido-enhancing effect too. However, Flibanserin was rejected as a female sexual dysfunction medication, after trials did not indicate strong results.

Women who suspect they may be suffering female sexual dysfunction should seek out medical advice from a trained medical practitioner.