Do Women Need Female Viagra? Sexual Dysfunction May Be Due To Lack Of Communication With Partner

Female Viagra is here. In August, the Food and Drug Administration approved Addyi for premenopausal women experiencing hypoactive sexual desire disorder, or low sexual desire. While the disorder, which can also be marked by pain, is something several women experience — it may not need a prescription, according to a new study published in Fertility and Sterility.

Researchers from MedUni Vienna in Austria recruited 30 pre- and post-menopausal women with sexual dysfunction and split them into two groups: One group was given a hormone treatment with oxytocin, while the other was given a placebo in the form of a nasal spray; both groups were advised to use treatments within 50 minutes before having sex for over a period of eight weeks. After a "washout" period of two weeks, researchers then switched treatments among groups for another eight weeks.

For each round of treatment, women were asked to keep a diary with their partner and assess how sexual function did or did not
improve, which encouraged basic communication. The results showed that sexual experience among the oxytocin group did improve, but so did the experience among women using the placebo spray." Clearly, the fact that the women thought more about their sexuality and spoke with their partners about sex during the course of the study in itself brought about measurable improvements," lead study author Michaela Bayerle-Eder, doctor of internal medicine and sexual medicine at MedUni, told PsyPost. Eder suggested then that misunderstandings between sexual partners could be the culprit behind dysfunction, not a chemical or hormonal imbalance.

Of course, this seems obvious. The majority of people will tell you that communication is the foundation of any great relationship, whether two people are having sex or not. But with regard to sex, there's actually science to back that idea up: A study from Cleveland State University in Ohio found that sexual communication is directly linked to sexual satisfaction, and there's even research that shows talking during sex increases sexual pleasure.

This is often easier said than done, namely because talking about low sex drives, and what may rev it up, can be embarrassing, especially if it's something that hasn't been done before. Think of new positions and sex toys. But in a recent survey from Good In Bed, experts found that men and women are more willing to go that extra mile to improve their sex lives than one might think. Out of over 4,800 men and women, 53.2 percent of men and 39.8 percent of women would indulge their partner, and both women and men were willing to try something new.

That said, researchers aren't saying all women need is communication, and boom, their sexual experience improves. Sexual dysfunction, again, also includes feeling pain during intercourse, so talking with primary care physicians or gynecologists may be the best way to determine what the right course of action is. 

All the present study is saying is that there could be another, more natural solution to consider first.

Source: Bayerle-Eder M, et al. Effect of long-term intranasal oxytocin on sexual dysfunction in premenopausal and postmenopausal women: a randomized trial. Fertility and Sterility. 2015.