This summer, in a blog post on the absence of pharmaceutical options for my treatment of women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), I said “I’m not in the room for the FDA discussions.” Thankfully, that’s about to change.
I’ve written here a number of times (as early as 2010 and as late as earlier this year) about the progress with the pursuit of “pink Viagra” and its frustrating setbacks. My message has consistently been that women’s sexuality is complicated, and no pill is going to fix everything for everyone.
But because of that very complication, as a physician, I value having options available. For one woman, simply thinking about intention and follow-through is enough to change the equation. For another, a combination of moisturizer, lubricant, and a powerful-enough vibrator is restorative. A third may require localized estrogen to rejuvenate tissues and restore comfort. You get the idea.
What that means is that the more options I have, the more likely I am to be able to work with a woman to maintain or restore the level of physical intimacy and sexual activity she wants. And I’m increasingly aware that while there are 26 drugs approved by the FDA for men’s erectile dysfunction, there is nothing that’s been approved for women facing comparable issues.
It’s not for want of trying. From the outside, it looks as though the bar is set higher for drugs for women than drugs for men. The side effects noted for drugs recently considered seemed more mild than that list we can all recite from hearing Viagra commercials since 1998. It doesn’t matter whether this is an intentional bias; what matters is that the FDA assure that it’s even-handed and supportive of women and their sexual health moving forward.
And that’s where the change comes in. Later this month, I’ll be traveling to Washington, DC, to attend a public hearing and then a workshop of women’s health experts, both intended to establish the reality of women’s experience (43 percent of us suffer from some sexual dysfunction!) and how the FDA can productively respond.
You can lend your voice to the proceedings. There’s a consortium of us who are concerned with women’s sexual health. We’re gathering signatures to a petition so that it’s clear to the FDA when we meet that this is a real problem, suffered by real women who seek a range of solutions. Add your voice at EvenTheScore.org or sign the #WomenDeserve petition at Change.org. Follow the discussion at the WomenDeserve Facebook community.
And I’ll keep you posted on the progress your voice has supported!