New Approach on Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

Dysfunction of female sexual desire, arousal, or orgasm affects approximately 30% of women. Early attempts to treat female sexual dysfunction arose out of programs developed for male erectile dysfunction and have proven largely unsuccessful. A new wave of targets is now being pursued; many of these targets are postulated to modulate central pathways. Classical neurotransmitter systems, such as dopamine and serotonin are receiving the most attention. Early clinical data look promising; however, clinical trial methodology in female sexual dysfunction is not well developed and only further testing will determine whether these treatments satisfy patient need.