I found this interesting

[rgraham666]

And would like to hear your opinions on it.

Female Sexual Dysfunction

 

[Sunnie]

I think the phrase "over-medicalization of female sexual health" hits it right on the head. I mean, do they stop to think that some women just aren't interested in sex the way men are?

I can understand if you're a woman who used to have a high drive and don't anymore, and you want it back. But for someone who's never had a high drive -- what's the point? That's how you were built.

For myself, if I found my sex drive waning (as it is, it takes two men to keep up with me ), I'd do everything I could to get it back, or at least make the individual encounters memorable enough to be worth it. By and large, though, let nature take its course, I think. -shrug-

 

[Honey123]

I am not sure if I'd risk the fact that...."The patch carried risks of breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, hair growth, acne and weight gain..

I really don't want any of those side affects...the most disturbing is the breast cancer and cardiovascular disease...not to mention:

HAIR GROWTH ~ Like where? My nipples?? My chest?? MY ASS????

ACNE ~ I never had that when I was a pubescent teenager and

WEIGHT GAIN ~ Do you know how long it has taken me to enjoy the body I have now?

I'd rather chance it and hope that my sexual drive does not decrease in my later years...

 

[neonlyte]

......

Do you know how long it has taken me to enjoy the body I have now?

......

Took me less than a second

 

[Honey123]

Took me less than a second

-- thank you!

 

[SummerMorning]

-- thank you!

*I* had to work on that body, dammit! Some appreciation please!

 

[Honey123]

*I* had to work on that body, dammit! Some appreciation please!

The AV did not completely change my body......the attached is what you started with!!!

 

[SummerMorning]

The AV did not completely change my body......the attached is what you started with!!!

Damn it, you are my proper-tea!

 

[Honey123]

Damn it, you are my proper-tea!

proper-tea...of course, I am Honey

 

[LadyJeanne]

I have no trouble having orgasms by myself. It's way different with a partner, much harder to achieve. But it certainly is not a 'disease' that needs to be treated with drugs. It often has a lot to do with the partner and his particular efforts. If they develop a pill that makes men more considerate and knowledgable lovers, I'd be interested in that. What good is Viagra if men still don't know what to do with their lovers?

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

I have FSD.

When I don’t want to have sex, and some guy tries to pressure me into it, I REALLY DON’T WANT TO HAVE SEX!

It seems to me that Viagra is for men who want to have sex, but can’t, while Intrinsa is for women who don’t wish to have sex, but must.

 

[SummerMorning]

proper-tea...of course, I am Honey

I drink my tea with honey, ya know!

 

[SummerMorning]

I have FSD.

When I don’t want to have sex, and some guy tries to pressure me into it, I REALLY DON’T WANT TO HAVE SEX!

It seems to me that Viagra is for men who want to have sex, but can’t, while Intrinsa is for women who don’t wish to have sex, but must.

All women must have sex! Deus vult!

 

[rgraham666]

I have no trouble having orgasms by myself. It's way different with a partner, much harder to achieve. But it certainly is not a 'disease' that needs to be treated with drugs. It often has a lot to do with the partner and his particular efforts. If they develop a pill that makes men more considerate and knowledgable lovers, I'd be interested in that. What good is Viagra if men still don't know what to do with their lovers?

On behalf of my gender, I apologise.

I can't imagine a man who wouldn't consider loving you.

I mean loving you considerately!

I'd better shut up now before I dig myself into a deeper hole.

 

[BlackShanglan]

It seems to me that Viagra is for men who want to have sex, but can’t, while Intrinsa is for women who don’t wish to have sex, but must.

What an excellent quote.

Sex, when done properly, is pleasant. It can be pleasant on some or all of many levels - intellectual, physical, emotional, social - but it's pleasant.

People don't generally avoid things that are pleasant.

If there's a problem (male or female) with lack of desire, perhaps one ought first to look at whether those various spheres of pleasure are actually there.

That said, I think that there are some poor assumptions made in this article. They make much hay of drug companies making up their own testing models and funding their own research, but I really question who else would be likely to do (and pay for) that research. Every industry does a great deal of its own research and testing; this is because no one else has a funding stream or financial incentive to do it. I agree that it's best if eventually someone else tries to replicate their results, but I don't think it's a bad thing if the people who want to make a drug are the ones to handle the initial rounds of weeding out what does and does not have promise. Otherwise, someone else would have spend years of time and probably hundreds of thousands of dollars concluding that Viagra does nothing useful for women. I don't have a problem with a model where drug companies do their own in-house testing and then submit results to the FDA, who handle the question of whether more out-of-house testing needs to be done. In fact, it seems that with Intrinsa, the system worked perfectly, as the FDA examined the case for it and rejected it based on safety concerns. I think that the question of publication in peer-reviewed journals is a key one, but then that's also the sort of thing that the FDA can take into account when reviewing an application.

What concerns me is one conference participant's statement that this should not be left in the hands of "big pharma" (or similar). While I cautiously share the feeling that it's a bad idea to continue trying to medicate more and more personal, relationship, and emotional problems, I worry about the potential for non-drug-company medicative solutions. I don't think that many people realize that in the wake of DSHEA (the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act), there is a two-tier system in the United States.

Things that are drugs can claim to cure specific medical conditions, and those must be vetted by the FDA. They must prove both that they work and that they are safe, and they may be subject to being made prescription-only. However, there is another, increasingly worrying route. If you don't claim to cure a specific disease - if, for example, you claim to "energize" people's chemical systems, or "stimulate desire," or "purify the body" or "help burn fat" (which everyone's body does), then what you're marketing is not a drug - it's a supplement. What's disturbing about this is that anything classed as a supplement is not required to prove itself either effective or safe. That's why it took so long for ephedra to be taken off of the market despite many adverse case reports. Ephedra was marketed as a supplement. That put the burden of proof on the FDA to prove that it's dangerous rather than on the maker to prove that it is safe. The result was that the FDA, chronically understaffed and underfunded, could not bring together sufficient research backing for several years, and ephedra stayed on the market despite a growing number of "adverse cardiac events."

This sort of thing worries me because it means that products end up on shelves when they not only have never been proven to work in any way, but when they have not even been proven to be safe. As a result, I personally would rather have the possible fiction of FSD being worked on by people who will have to prove their products safe and effective than by people who can put anything into a bottle and put it on the shelf. I think that the conference attendees would do well to acknolwedge that whether it's true or not, people do buy into this idea of "FSD." That's because, fairly or unfairly, many of them perceive a problem - and where many people perceive a problem, someone will sell them a solution. I would be much happier if everyone would realize that sexual desire rarely has a pill-in-a-bottle solution, but given that people are certain to demand one, I would rather see a closely overseen "Big Pharma" working on it than an almost completely unregulated supplement industry.

Shanglan

 

[Dar~]

I have to say right off that I do not know what FSDis exactly, but i do know that I used to be quite interested in having sex and being sexual in general. I have never been one to get orgasms easily. Sometimes it take hours to get myselfoff let alone with a prtner who depsite his best efforts usually ends up disappointed in himself simply b/c I don't orgasm easily. In the years since I had my daughter (almost four) I have found that my interest in sex has rapidly declined. I am on Paxil, which seems to effect it, but I am happier on paxil and not horny than I am without it. Some days I feel bad for my husband. As far back as I remember, I couldn't orgasm with out a lot of effort and lets face it it doesn't come (no pun intended) if you're trying.

I believe that it is possible that women suffer sexual dysfunction just like I believe in erectile dysfunction. It is a very real possibility; however, look at the findings about Viagra in the past year. Blindness? The side effects may not be worth the risk (ie:hair, cancer?) I definitely don't think they are.

I thin a big problem in the world right now is thinking that people were all meant to be the same. We are all meant to have the same desires and its just not true. some people were not meant to be overly sexual just like some people were not meant to be straight. Whats next, a drug to cure gayness??

 

[raphy]

Problem with female sexual dysfunction is that it has no visible cure.

If a man is impotent, you *know* when you've cured him because he can get an erection.

If a woman truly can't orgasm (and I'm not talkin' about it being difficult) it ain't so easy to prove that you've fixed...

Dar's right though - Everyone's different, and people need to wake up and recognize that fact. Course, the likelihood of that happening ranks about the same as me achieving my long-time wish of becoming a lesbian.

 

[Penelope Street]

If they develop a pill that makes men more considerate and knowledgable lovers, I'd be interested in that.

I'd settle for considerate; I can supply the knowledge.

 

[Virtual_Burlesque]

I'd settle for considerate; I can supply the knowledge.

Tape numbered diagrams to the headboard.

"# 5, Johnny, #5"

"#3, #3"

"Quick, Johnny, #7"

 

[SeaCat]

So sorry that I can't answer for the females and their viewpoint, but I can answer from my viewpoint. (Rest assured that this is my viewpoint. I don't assume to speak for anyone other than myself on this subject.)

Women like men are all different. Some have higher drives than others. This drive can be affected by many outside variables. Age, health, medications, part of cycle the woman is in, stress, and ability of their partner are just some of these.

If you rule out medical problems many of the other variables can be altered without resorting to the use of additional medications. (Sex is often touted as one of the great stress reducers, but sometimes the stress can and will cause a person to not be interested. In fact if the woman is unable to reach orgasm this can even add to the stress level.)

One of the biggest factors I hear about, (and I have heard it here) is the inability of the male to bring his partner off due to lack of knowledge or just plain selfishness. All I can say to this is talk to the guy outside of the sack. Let him know you aren't satisfied and why. You have to teach him. (As much as we wish they did, women just don't come with instruction manuals.) If your partner is willing to learn then all you have to be is patient and you will be rewarded. (Warning he'll have to unlearn more than a few things he learned along the way.) Even Senor DeMarko had to learn, he wasn't born with the knowledge imprinted. If your partner is unwilling to learn, or you're just not interested in teaching him then there isn't a whole lot I can say.

For the women who's drives have been affected by either health or medications they need to take the answer may very well be in the use of additional medications. Let's just hope they are well tested and with minimal side effects.

Cat

Something I don't see talked about much is the posibility of a male form of BC. Somehow I don't see this as a priority, which is truly a sad thing.

 

[erise]

Pills, pills, pills, pills.

Ok, patches. Same thing. Better living through chemistry in general. It bothers me.

Despite my presence here, I'm not a very highly sexed person. Orgasms doesn't come easy, and never just from physical stimulation. I would from behind some people's glasses be branded sexualy dysfunct, but that seems to me like a social tag for not viewing intercourse as a recreational sport. At the same time, I am a very intimate person with the man I love, always close to touch and kissing, and more than that, intimate on an intellectual level. My man likes to get off much more than me, and we both knows this. If he wants it I'll help him out. End of story. But my own desire for it is much more connected to emotional highs in my life and not routine fucking. Consitent intimacy is more important than the peaks, if you know what I mean.

Why is intercourse and orgasm the only measurement of sex? Probably because it's ine only one that the statistics can measure. Notches in the bedpost, and all that.

 

[scheherazade_79]

It's strange. Throughout history and in many different cultures, people have always acted with horror if a woman's sex drive is too high, resulting in clitorectomies, spiritual cleansing and other draconian measures. But if a woman's sex drive is too low, no one really gives a shit.

What can we conclude from this? That it doesn't matter if a woman doesn't feel like sex? Maybe it doesn't. I suspect that marital rape goes on far more than we'll ever know. And of course, there are plenty of people out there who are adament that there's no such thing as rape within a marriage, because it's the husband's right to fuck his wife whenever and however he chooses.

A chilling thread.