One of the reasons why marriages get into trouble is sex, or the lack of it. So when viagra came along ten years ago, a lot of men with erectile dysfunction thought they would all be able to save their marriages by being able to resume sex. Except, if you have a bad marriage, sex is not going to help. In fact, it may trigger an early departure. Now, let’s change the perspective. If a woman loses her sex drive, viagra is of no help to her. Ignore the myth on that score. Women who buy viagra for recreational use get nothing in return.

There are a number of reasons why women find their libido reducing. Some drugs have that side effect so, changing the drugs or reducing the dosage can restore interest. But more usually, it follows surgery, say for a hysterectomy, or the natural menopause. Somewhat controversially, this loss of libido is called hypoactive sexual desire disorder. This labels a natural or surgically-induced decline in the levels of some hormones in a woman’s body as a medical problem to be “cured”. The theory is that a lack of testosterone and estrogen reduces the interest in sex. Thus, a topical cream or tablet can restore the hormone levels and improve desire. Unfortunately, there’s no real evidence to support the theory. Indeed, the FDA refused approval for a testosterone patch for women in 2004. The reason was a lack of evidence that this was a safe treatment.

The whole question is complicated because human relationships are complicated. Women may lose interest in having sex with a man for many different reasons. Although a reduction in some hormone levels may occur at the same time, this is no more significant than the fact that her hair may also be turning white as she grows older. More importantly, many women have excellent sex lives even with low levels of hormones. So the idea of developing a viagra for women is controversial. In the case of men, there was a more positive physical problem to treat. Obviously, completing the sexual act is difficult if the man fails to get or keep an erection. But, with women, it’s more complicated.