Intrinsa - female Viagra

SEX DRUG FOR WOMEN

IN a move that is bound to have women worldwide sighing "About time," female Viagra will be released next week.
The UK's Sun newspaper have reported that a hormone patch called Intrinsa will be available on British shelves next week. The patch is placed on the stomach or bottom and releases male hormone testosterone through the skin into the bloodstream.
Unlike men's Viagra, which has a purely physiological effect on the body, manufacturers of Intrinsa claim that it works by stimulating sexual thoughts in women.

The Sun reported that the new aphrodisiac produced a 74 per cent increase in “frequency of satisfying sexual activity”.
Intrinsa is designed for people with sexual problems and will only be available on prescription in the UK. There is no release date set for Australia yet. As many as 40 per cent of women are said to have a low sex drive.

Counsellor Phillip Hodson told the Sun: “Some women say they are no longer interested in sex, then you find their testosterone levels are extremely low. “They will probably experience the reconstruction of their sex lives.” But consultant gynaecologist Prof John Studd warned the patch will not be a solution for all sexual problems. “If you are not interested in sex because your husband is a foul beast, Intrinsa isn’t going to change that.”

Female sexual dysfunction

Medical surveys reveal that approximately 43% of all adult women suffer from what specialists consider various forms of sexual dysfunction. Although not even nearly publicized as male erectile dysfunction, female sexual dysfunction is just as serious and commonly met. The definition given by specialists to female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is the consistent or inconsistent lack of sexual fantasies, desire and/or initiative in order to perform sexual intercourse, fact which leads to a state of personal distress or difficult interpersonal relationships. Female sexual dysfunction is also called hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSSD).
Unlike male ED - erectile dysfunction which is 90% physically determined, FSD develops on a psychological background such as family concerns, job and financial worries, carrier difficulties, childcare issues, illness, guilt, death, physical and/or emotional abuse, depression and, more often than not, incomplete or unsatisfying couple life. If not treated in due time, these psychological determinations may combine and generate a complex nonstimulative state of mind causing lack of sexual desire in women.FSD, however, may also be biologically determined. Conditions like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders, cancer, neurological disorders or even lupus and other autoimmune disorders may lead to low sexual appetite. Moreover, FSD may derive from anti-hypertensive and depression medication, illegal drug abuse and alcoholism as well, just like men's erectile dysfunction.
What all men and women should keep in mind is that erectile dysfunction can be treated in all ages.

Signs, Symptomes and Causes

Sexual dysfunction manifests itself in many ways. Because women generalize about their sexual troubles, describing the problem as an overall dissatisfaction or decrease in libido, it is important they know about particular signs, symptoms, menopause and other causes.
FDS Signs and Symptomes
Sexual Aversion Disorder - persistent aversion to, and avoidance of sexual contact with a sexual partner, based on psychologically or emotionally problems.
Sexual Arousal Disorder - a constant or repeated inability to achieve, or to maintain until completion of the sexual intercourse, an adequate lubrication-swelling response of sexual excitement.
Orgasmic Disorder - constant or repeated difficulty, or inability of attaining orgasm following adequate sexual stimulation and arousal, and causes personal trouble.
Difficult and painful, or even impossible penetration due to an involuntary spasm of the muscles surrounding the vagina that closes the vagina, called Vaginismus.
Recurrent or persistent genital pain when sexual intercourse, called Dyspareunia
Menopause and Other Causes
After menopause many women feel less sexual desire,have vaginal dryness or have pain during sexMenopause, also called "change of life", is the point in a woman's life when menstrual periods stop permanently. This change occurs in most women between the ages of 35 and 58. Menopause is a natural event or a surgical one when a woman has both of her ovaries removed.Menopause means a woman is no longer able to have children, due to the stop of menstruation. This fact has its benefits. A woman can enjoy her partner and no longer has to worry about becoming pregnant.Women's sexual function changes during the years before and after menopause, as a result of a decrease in estrogen and testosterone levels. Most common problems include a lack of desire, vaginal atrophy, diminished responsiveness and low sexual arousal.
Other things that cause problems with your sex life
use of alcohol or vaginal infections
chronic diseases, women suffering from diabetes or high blood pressure
an unhappy, stressful mariage or relationship or sexual abuse
loss of desire during pregnancy, after childbirth or during breast-feeding

INTRINSA

Data released from a second, large-scale safety and efficacy study showed treatment with Intrinsa, an investigational female testosterone patch, significantly increased satisfying sexual activity and sexual desire in menopausal women with Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), and who previously had both ovaries removed. HSDD is defined as a lack of sexual desire that causes a woman personal distress. The preliminary findings of the study were presented today at ENDO 2004, the 86th Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society.
"These impressive study results add to the strong foundation of evidence around the benefits of testosterone therapy via a patch for restoring sexual desire in surgically menopausal women," said John Buster, M.D., lead study investigator and Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. "Back-to- back trial results of this depth and consistency in the field of female sexual function are important for physicians and patients alike. The surgically menopausal women I see in my practice everyday paint a very clear picture of how common and concerning a loss of desire can be, and how real the need is for therapeutic options."
The study of 533 surgically menopausal women with HSDD showed patients receiving testosterone via a transdermal patch experienced a statistically significant increase (p=0.001) in the frequency of total satisfying sexual activity, as well as a statistically significant increase (p=0.0006) in sexual desire versus placebo. Significant improvements were also seen in arousal, orgasm, pleasure, responsiveness, concerns, self-image and distress levels for women using the female testosterone patch. Overall, adverse events (AEs) were similar in the testosterone and placebo groups. Although the overall incidence of androgenic AEs was low, the incidence was slightly higher in the testosterone group. Most of the androgenic AEs were mild and did not result in study discontinuation.
A study of 562 surgically menopausal women with HSDD, which yielded consistent results, was presented last month at a major medical meeting of obstetricians and gynecologists.
Testosterone is produced naturally in a woman's ovaries and adrenal glands and has long been linked to female sexual function. When a woman has her ovaries surgically removed, she experiences an immediate decline in testosterone. The loss of sexual desire can be associated with this testosterone drop. According to a recent study, an estimated one in three surgically menopausal women in the U.S. has low sexual desire and nearly half of these women report being distressed about it(1). Low desire is the most commonly reported type of female sexual health complaint.
In the study, the thin, transparent testosterone patch was worn on the abdomen and is designed to work by releasing a low, controlled dose of natural testosterone. There are currently no products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat HSDD in women.
The 24-week, randomized, double-blind, multi-center study, called INTIMATE SM 2, enrolled surgically menopausal women with HSDD who were taking oral or transdermal estrogen. Patients were on average 49 years old, in stable relationships (mean of 18 years), and had their ovaries removed an average of nine years before study entry. Patients were randomized to receive a placebo patch or the female testosterone patch designed to deliver 300 micrograms (mcg) of testosterone per day. All patches were changed twice each week.
In the study, the primary efficacy endpoint was the change in total satisfying sexual activity, as recorded in a Sexual Activity Log (SAL), at 24 weeks. The Profile of Female Sexual Function (PFSF) and Personal Distress Scale (PDS) measured seven domains of sexual function (desire, arousal, orgasm, pleasure, responsiveness, concerns and self-image) and distress associated with low desire, respectively. The SAL, PFSF and PDS are all multinational, validated instruments.