“Some 16 million American women are impacted by sexual dysfunction,” according to Irwin Goldstein, the secretary of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health, and a medical advisor for EmpowHER. His statement appeared in a PR Newswire news release.
The news release also noted that according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, 43 percent of women have sexual dysfunctions, compared with 31 percent of men. One in 10 women has experienced hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). HSDD is an absence of sexual desire and fantasies, that causes distress and does not have an obvious cause.
Even with these high numbers, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to approve a single drug to treat female sexual dysfunction. For men, it’s a different story. There are 26 approved drugs to treat male sexual dysfunction.
This disparity has become a rallying point for advocates who suggest that the FDA seems more eager to approve sex-enhancing drugs for men than for women.
A diverse group of women's health and research organizations launched "Even the Score." This advocacy campaign was created to serve as a voice for American women who believe that it's time for the FDA to level the playing field when it comes to the treatment of HSDD.
EmpowHER is a founding supporter of Even the Score. EmpowHER's founder and chairman Michelle King Robson said, “this is about more than just ‘lifestyle’ drugs; this is life altering. Women’s lives are being affected by this condition every single day.”
Serra Sippel, president of the Center for Health and Gender Equity wrote in Huffington Post that when a woman or man suffers from a form of sexual dysfunction, their ability to have a satisfying sex life is curtailed and personal relations with a partner or spouse also can be damaged.
“Gender equality should be the standard when it comes to access to treatments for sexual dysfunction; and the approval of safe and effective treatments for women's sexual dysfunction should be a priority for action by the FDA,” said Susan Scanlan, past chairwoman of the National Council of Women's Organizations and founding member of the Even the Score campaign, in a statement to Medical Marketing & Media.
The debate hinges on the HSDD treatment flibanserin. The FDA rejected flibanserin in 2010, saying it failed to meet effectiveness standards. The agency failed to approve it again last year, saying that research conducted since it was first rejected showed only “modest” benefits in increasing women’s sexual satisfaction, according to the Washington Post.
The Washington Post reported that the women’s groups say it should be up to women and their doctors, not the FDA, to decide if modest improvements in sexual satisfaction are good enough.
Robson encourages EmpowHER readers to make their own voices heard by commenting here that women are entitled to FDA-approved sexual dysfunction drugs. All are invited to sign the Even the Score petition there as well.
“I created this site so women can have a voice," she said. "If we can win this battle; we will have made a significant improvement in a lot of women’s lives.”
Sources:
King Robson, Michelle. Phone interview. 24 June 2014.
Kennedy, Erin. "8 Reasons the Little Pink Pill Matters to Women's Health - ...." 8 Reasons the Little Pink Pill Matters to Women's Health - .... N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2014.
https://www.empowher.com/hypoactive-sexual-desire-disorder-hsdd/content/8-reasons-why-little-pink-pill-matters-women
"Even The Score." Even The Score. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 June 2014.
http://eventhescore.org
"FDA says not biased in rejecting female sex drive drug." Tech Times RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 June 2014.
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http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/national/group-letter-to-the-fda/820
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Sippel, Serra. "A Door Opens for Women's Right to Sexual Pleasure, Let's Hope the FDA Doesn't Close It." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Jan. 2014. Web. 21 June 2014.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/serra-sippel/a-door-opens-for-womens-right-to-sexual-pleasure_b_4653145.html
Somashekhar, Sandhya. "'Female Viagra' finds difficult path at FDA." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 21 June 2014.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/female-viagra-finds-difficult-path-at-fda/2014/02/19/e85d9d3e-9590-11e3-9616-d367fa6ea99b_story.html
Viebeck, Elise . "New campaign pushes for libido drug for women." TheHill. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 June 2014.
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/208265-new-campaign-pushes-for-libido-drug-for-women
Weinstein, Deborah. "Campaigners want FDA to focus on womens sexual health." MMM. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 June 2014.
http://www.mmm-online.com/campaigners-want-fda-to-focus-on-womens-sexual-health/article/351281
"Women's Groups Launch Campaign to 'Even the Score' on FDA-Approved Treatments for Women's Sexual Dysfunction, Provide Voice for the 1-in-10 Women who Experience HSDD." MarketWatch. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 June 2014.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/womens-groups-launch-campaign-to-even-the-score-on-fda-approved-treatments-for-womens-sexual-dysfunction-provide-voice-for-the-1-in-10-women-who-experience-hsdd-2014-06-04
Reviewed June 26, 2014
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith