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Viagra for women 'unlikely'
18/07/2005 10:46 - (SA)
Sydney - The little purple pill has transformed the sex lives of millions of men. But there is little likelihood of a Viagra - like fix for women low on libido, Australian research suggests.
A team from Melbourne's Monash University and the Jean Hailes Foundation discounted testosterone levels as a yardstick of women's interest in sex after studying a sample of 1 423 women.
They found young women with low sex drives were likely to have low levels of the hormone DHEAS but they were unable to fix on any level considered optimum.
"Sexual functioning is extremely complex," Professor Susan Davis told Australia's AAP news agency.
"Researchers have been looking for a solution for a long time. But we've found no evidence that a blood test identifying levels of testosterone is useful when diagnosing sexual dysfunction. For some people this is a bit of a bombshell."
Hormone blood test 'not useful'
The research paper, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, concluded that a hormone blood test would not be useful in determining how to treat low libido.
Davis said women should not be prescribed hormone therapy until the cause of their disinterest in sex was established. It could be depression, thyroid dysfunction, iron deficiency, relationship issues or stress, she said.
Jean Hailes Foundation research director Helena Teede said there were still many ways that women could improve their sex lives.
"Our lives are ridiculously busy and we have so many responsibilities," she said. "It's easy to see sex as yet another chore. While there may be medical reasons for some women's low libido, there is growing evidence that social and emotional factors play a huge part."
- SAPA
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