At The Origins Of Women's Viagra: Its History And Alternatives

2023 Author: Miles Ford | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 12:19

It may sound strange, but pharmaceutical companies have not always been enthusiastic about the idea of using drugs to improve libido in women. This opinion was ineradicable until 1998, when Viagra solemnly entered the shelves of pharmacies. The start of sales of this drug was truly sensational - one of the most successful cases in the entire history of the pharmaceutical industry. Not surprisingly, after that, the leaders of large enterprises have already begun to rub their hands in anticipation of new profits - this time from similar drugs for women.

The content of the article

• 1 A universal problem
• 2 Expectations that were not destined to come true
• 3 The Flibanserin story

A universal problem

Compared to men, women take medication more readily. It is believed that about two thirds of all pharmaceutical consumers are female buyers. With regard to female libido disorders, they are just as common as erectile dysfunction in men. Hypoactive sex drive is found in women of absolutely any age and nationality.

Expectations that were not destined to come true 2

So, the producers of Viagra could be enriched by another 2 billion dollars a year. Experts predicted that her female counterpart would be even more impressive, and would certainly generate a stir. However, a funny thing happened on the way of businessmen to a new jackpot.

The release of women's Viagra took 8 years and tens of millions of dollars. But scientific tests have shown that its effect is very modest. And it is clearly not enough for approval by the higher authorities. As a result, in 2006, the German pharmaceutical giant Pfizer refused to release Viagra for women.

Flibanserin Story 3

Then the direct competitor of this company, a German businessman named Boehringer Ingelheim, confidently decided that he could win this race. Ingelheim was holding a pill called Flibanserin. In one study, women who took it reported that the number of satisfying sex in their lives increased from 2.8 times a month to 4.5 times. However, there was one significant "but" here. The girls who took the placebo reported almost the same improvement, from 2.7 times to 3.7 times.

However, further research showed that Flibanserin had absolutely no effect on those problems that initially served as triggers for difficulties with sexual arousal. In June 2010, an American advisory committee to the US Department of Health voted unanimously against the approval of Flibanserin. Soon after, Ingelheim also announced that he was abandoning its production.

Are there non-drug solutions to difficulties?

So, the medications were not particularly effective for women with low libido. Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a drug-free approach that appears to have a significant advantage over drugs. This approach includes several main components.

• Consultation with a sexologist on relationship issues.
• Learning the process of arousal.
• The practice of progressive relaxation (in psychology, the approach is known as "Progressive relaxation according to Jacobson).
• Self-study exercises aimed at learning the needs of your own body in the process of masturbation.
• The practice of mindfulness is a Buddhist meditation that brings a person into a state of "relaxed wakefulness." This technique has been used successfully to treat depression, chronic pain, addictions, and eating disorders.

The researchers conducted an experiment in which 26 women took part. They suffered from low libido problems. After completing the standard tests, the girls went through this program for 2 weeks.

At the end of the experiment, it turned out that the program helped increase arousal, as well as significantly increase the level of sexual satisfaction. Based on this, we can conclude: the female sex drive is much better amenable to external influences when it comes to an integrated approach. Medication alone will not help to cope with the problem; for a good libido, a whole system of factors must be taken into account.