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A Libido-Boosting Pill for Women May Be Coming Soon
Having trouble getting in the mood? A quick fix might be on the way. Two new drugs are currently being tested to treat female sexual dysfunction. Fingers crossed—women may even get their own version of the little blue pill in just a few years!
A research company in the Netherlands called Emotional Brain has been conducting clinical trials in both the Netherlands and the U.S., and they hope to present these findings to the FDA soon. They found that there are two main causes of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), one of the main diagnoses of low sex drive in women. HSDD is either caused by low attention to sexual cues (loss of interest in sex) or maladaptive sexual inhibitory mechanisms (increased inhibitions usually stemming from bad experiences with sex), says Henrik Rasmussen, MD, PhD, chief medical officer for the Emotional Brain study. Basically, it’s a lot more complicated than erectile dysfunction in men, which is why it’s been so hard to find a treatment that works.
Both new drugs contain testosterone to boost libido, but they work differently to treat the two causes of HSDD. Lybrido contains a combination of testosterone and sildenafil (a drug also used in Viagra, which increases blood flow to the genitals) to treat women who’ve lost interest in sex, says Rasmussen. This treats the issue both locally (by increasing blood flow down below) and psychologically (by amping up testosterone to boost libido). While some women have already been taking Viagra off-label to boost arousal, they’re only getting the increased blood flow without any psychological component. “Testosterone is probably the most potent driver of libido,” says Rasmussen.
The other pill, Lybridos, contains testosterone and buspirone (a drug used to treat anxiety), to decrease women’s inhibitions about sex. This is crucial for women whose issues may stem from bad experiences or sexual abuse. “If you only gave them testosterone alone, you increase libido but because of the bad experiences, they’ll block it,” says Rasmussen. “This way, they’re getting the full benefit of testosterone.”
Another unique aspect of these pills is that they’re taken orally (dissolved under the tongue) and start working between one to six hours after you take them, according to Rasmussen. Compare that to Viagra, which kicks in for men in about 30 minutes and lasts up to four hours. It would basically allow women to boost their arousal (almost) exactly when they want it, without having to worry about any side effects from taking testosterone long term, says Rasmussen.
While the drugs are still in clinical trials (along with a nasal spray intended to increase your libido), researchers are hopeful that they’ll be able to approach the FDA with their data soon. They anticipate that the drug could be available as early as 2015, according to Emotional Brain’s website.
Until then, check out our tips for amping up your desire without a pill:
14 Sexy Tricks to Boost Your Libido
The Simple Way to Boost Arousal
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
BREAKING: The Morning After Pill May Soon Be OTC
In breaking birth control news, a federal judge has ordered the FDA to make emergency contraceptives available over the counter and without any point-of-sale or age restrictions. That means that all levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptives (including Plan B, Plan B One-Step, and its generics) would be available without a script to women of all ages (previously, women under 17 had to get an Rx from their doc). Even more exciting: It’ll be available on actual store shelves—right next to the condoms and pain relievers—rather than behind the pharmacy counter. And as anyone who has had to frantically search for a 24-hour pharmacy or deal with a judgy pharmacist can tell you—this is huge!
“Today is an enormous victory for all women,” says Susannah Baruch, interim president and CEO of Reproductive Health Technologies Project. “This decision is giving every woman and couple easier access to a safe and effective birth control option.”
Back in 2011, the FDA planned to make emergency contraception available OTC for women of all ages, but that recommendation was overturned by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. In his decision today, Judge Edward Korman of the District Court of Eastern New York wrote that those restrictions were “arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable.”
Unfortunately, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Plan B will be out on store shelves tomorrow. The Justice Department now has 30 days to make an appeal, though experts believe they’ll have a hard time making a case for it. If there aren’t any appeals, the FDA will then reach out to the manufacturers of Plan B and its generics to update their labeling to reflect these changes, says Baruch. “There is no exact timeline, but we wouldn’t expect there to be too many more delays,” says Baruch.
So what can you expect if all goes according to plan? Essentially, you could buy emergency contraception from any store that sells other OTC medications without having to chat up a pharmacist. “We no longer have to find on a Sunday morning or a Saturday night an open pharmacy counter with a pharmacist on duty,” says Susan Wood, PhD, associate professor of health policy and of environmental and occupational health at George Washington University. “You can purchase it as you would any other over-the-counter product.” And in terms of cost, the price will likely stay the same as it was behind the counter. The only difference will be for women who might have had a prescription for the drug and therefore might have had this covered under their insurance, says Wood. Those women will now have to pay the actual retail cost, which is typically around $ 50.
While we still don’t have a clear ETA for emergency contraception on drugstore shelves, the new ruling sends a message that access to birth control is something that should not come with limitations. “This is a stamp of approval for its safety,” says Baruch. “I hope we will not see any more unnecessary restrictions.”
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from Women’s Health:
6 Things You Need to Know About the Morning After Pill
Your Guide to Emergency Contraception
Are Your Birth Control Rights Endangered?
Will Birth Control Be OTC Soon?
Wouldn’t it be great if getting birth control were as easy as picking up a bottle of Tylenol? Well, a major medical group thinks it should be. Last week, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) recommended that birth control should be available as an over-the-counter drug, in order to make it significantly more accessible than it currently is.
One major benefit of more accessible BC? The unintended pregnancy rate—which is now at 50 percent of all pregnancies in the US—will drop. And a lower unintended pregnancy rate can only be a good thing. Not only is reproductive control important for women’s autonomy and their ability to make the best choices for themselves, but choosing to get pregnant, rather than getting pregnant by accident, is also better for women’s health and the health of their kids.
From the ACOG statement: “Unintended pregnancy remains a major public health problem in the United States. According to the Institute of Medicine, women with unintended pregnancy are more likely to smoke or drink alcohol during pregnancy, have depression, experience domestic violence, and are less likely to obtain prenatal care or breastfeed.” In short: greater access to the Pill doesn’t just give women control over their futures—it also helps guarantee that they’ll have healthier pregnancies.
“We want to think of the idea of optimized pregnancy,” says Ashlesha Patel, MD, MPH, System Director of Family Planning Services of Cook County Healthy & Hospitals System, Chicago. And contraceptive planning and provision helps ensure that the timing, the health of the mother, and the future of the child are all ideal, she says. “It’s a very safe category of drugs that women need free access to, in order to make sure that they’re compliant and adherent.”
Unfortunately, in spite of ACOG’s recommendation, the Pill and other forms of hormonal birth control aren’t available without a prescription—yet. That said, birth control is about to become more accessible than it ever has been. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, if you already have private health insurance, you might be able to get certain brands and methods of birth control without a co-pay or deductible. Some insurance plans already offer this coverage, while others will roll this out over the next few years, according to Planned Parenthood. Not sure what your options are? Call the member services number on the back of your insurance card to get the low-down.
photo: Digital Vision/Thinkstock
More from WH:
The History of Birth Control
Which Birth Control is Right for You?
What to Ask Your Gyno About Birth Control
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ALERT: Gonorrhea May Soon Be Untreatable
Scrunch your nose, curl your toes, and cross your legs—experts say that gonorrhea may soon be resistant to its only known treatment. Not good, considering the bacterial infection–which can be transmitted unknowingly through vaginal, oral, or anal sex—is estimated to infect more than 700,000 people in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“We could be facing the real possibility of untreatable gonorrhea [in the U.S.],” says Robert Kircaldy, M.D., M.P.H., medical epidemiologist and antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea expert at the CDC’s Division of STD Prevention. “It’s scary to think about.”
In recent years, effective treatment options for the newest strain of drug-resistant gonorrhea have dwindled down to one: the injectable antibiotic cefriazoxone, recommended in conjunction with an oral antibiotic. That’s because the bacteria that cause gonorrhea mutate quickly and develop resistance to antibiotics quite rapidly. “Antibiotic resistance is a very serious public health and medical problem that we are facing, and the bacteria that cause gonorrhea are among infections we’re very worried about,” says Kircaldy.
It gets worse: the very real threat of a national health epidemic comes at a time when few new antibiotics are being developed.
So what now? According to Kircaldy, the CDC is urging drug companies to research new drugs, and new combinations of existing drugs to buy time, while an ongoing clinical trial is expected to provide some additional options, as well. In the meantime, your best line of defense: don’t get gonorrhea.
Know Your Risk
According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, women have a 60-80% risk of contracting the clap after just one one-night stand with a man who has it. While symptoms depend on which part of your body is infected, such as your lady parts, anus, eyes, mouth, or throat, pain when you pee or vaginal discharge are fairly common. That said, the infection is asymptomatic in 50% of female carriers, so it can easily be passed along unknowingly. Left untreated, the STI can trigger chronic pelvic pain, pregnancy complications, and even infertility in women—not to mention an increased risk of contracting HIV. Men are equally unlucky: common symptoms include uncomfortable urination and discharge from the penis–symptoms you won’t necessarily know when you see. (If you did: would you *bleep* someone with an STD?)
Protect Yourself
The CDC says the best way to prevent the sexually transmitted infection is by–duh–not having sex. If that’s not an option, using condoms correctly and consistently with a mutually monogamous, uninfected partner is a surefire way to stay gonorrhea free. Additionally, the CDC recommends annual screenings to detect (and prevent passing along) asymptomatic infections.
photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock
More from WH:
How Effective Are Condoms?
18 Self Checks Every Woman Should Do
The Best Condoms for Your Pleasure and His
Look Better Naked: Buy the book to learn how to look (and feel!) your very best.