I need this pill.

When I first read the post, I thought it might be one of those research flukes where the drug they were studying had some interesting and unexpected side effects. I was a little disappointed to read that the scientists really are studying the effects of hormones on female libido (I do find it interesting that no research has been done on male animals), but I cling to the hope that the reduced appetite was an unexpected side effect. From a medical perspective, the seriously depressed appetite would be a pretty high hurdle to overcome to get a libido enhancing drug to the market. I'm very concerned about reducing a woman's appetite to about a third of normal. With a lack of nutrients and calories, you're not going to have the energy to enjoy that new libido. On the other hand, if the drug gets marketed for weight loss, the increased libido would probably not be considered a serious side effect.

The article did touch on the fact that most women experiencing a low libido do so because they are not happy in their relationship. But if that is true, then why develope a libido increasing drug? And it also brings up the whole argument of why women are somehow broken, either psychologically or biologically, if they do not want to have sex.

This is so depressing.

I agree, VT. My favorite part of this article are the last two lines: "When couples come to me and they are not having sex, the last thing they want to do is examine their relationship. They want to believe that it's nothing to do with their relationship."

So with this information, they decide that the best solution is to give the people what they want: a medication to solve their problem withour examining their relationship. As though what we really need is to medicate ourselves instead of communicating with our partner(s).

I'm very concerned about reducing a woman's appetite to about a third of normal.

It actually reduces it by a third, not to a third. This is still rather drastic, but perhaps not quite so terrifying.

Oh how I love the magic pill culture.

I see the incentive for this being a group of scientists walking in to a particularly unsatisfying night club. The following conversation went something like this:

"Well boys, there sure are a lot of fatties here tonight."

"Yeah, and none of the pretty ones are dancing. They're just sitting at the bar."

"I'm bored."

"We've got to do something about this."

There needs to be a group of women scientists to develop and pill that will make men find so-called unattractive women sexy and dance with them even though they aren't a size -8.

Certainly, though, there are relationships that are fine that could use this pill. Women's libido is affected by many things, including relationship problems, but also things like medication (especially birth control) and hormones.

I think I've seen commercials for this. The pill I saw being advertised on tv was described as the only libido-pill that causes weight loss. Or maybe it was vice versa.
Either way, it was creepy.

On a side note, as someone who lives in a relationship where there is a sexual barrier as well as trust issues, the last thing I need is something to increase my libido. I'm willing and wanting, and I'm sure he is to, but we just don't come together that way. And there's no pill that can make it happen. If anything, this pill would just cause more fighting.

Isn't it true that many women have low libido because they use the birth control pill? I hope so, because otherwise it means I'm just ugly.

oh goodie- cause society doesn't tell us enough that we need to be thin and give hot sex on demand...

This scares me. I mean it really makes a knot down deep in my gut. My first thought when I read this was, I hope I get old and die before a drug like this goes on the market.

Do you see what's happening? They are turning us into Stepford Wives. In real life. First it's the makeup and the clothes. Then it's Valium or Prozac* or whatever the drug-of-the-month is to make us complacent. Then breast implants. Then labiaplasty. Now a pill to make us skinny and ready for sex at all times, regardless of context.

They are slowly, but deliberately and literally turning us into their porn-fantasy sexbots.

This is deadly serious. Welcome to the virtual end of your existence as a sentient being.

As Twisty says, "Men hate you." It's never been more clear.

*I do recognize that some people suffer terribly from mental illnesses, and that pharmaceuticals literally and figuratively save their lives. I have no quarrel with that.

Isn't it true that many women have low libido because they use the birth control pill?
I don't know about that, i never had any problems when I was on the pill. I'm on antidepressants, though, & those have fucked with my libido & ability to orgasm, which is very depressing.

What really depresses me about this is the tie between being skinny and having a sex drive -- because obviously, if you're fat, you don't deserve a sex drive or a sexual partner. So the pill convinces you to shove less food in your gullet so that way you're more deserving of having sex, all the while gifting you with a new-found libido...

*sigh* Here's to another way of telling women when and how they should have a sex drive.

As far as I know, scientists don't have a very good idea of what causes high or low libido in women. (They've done a lot of research on men, though. Go figure.) So, I'm actually pretty happy some funding is going to it. Not that I aspire to nympho-waif status. I just like wanting to have sex, I like having sex, and you don't need to have relationship troubles to miss the high libido that you get with a new relationship.

I think some of the reactions to this are a little, um, reactionary. From what I understand, the scientists who created this were just looking for a libido-enhancing drug for women and the appetite supression was a side-effect. I don't think this means that men are trying to make us into sex-crazed anorexics or anything. And the fact that most libido issues are a result of bad relationships does not diminish the fact that some women also have biological reasons for a low libido that they would like to fix. I wouldn't want to deny any woman a satisfying sex life just because other people might use the drug irresponsibly or for the wrong reasons.

The way I see it, an increase in tongue-flicking and eyebrow-raising can only be a good thing.

I worry that if women in couples take this drug without bothering to fix any problems that may exist in their relationship, they'll just bury their problems in the present only to have them intensify in the future.

As far as the birth control thing goes (JenLovesPonies brought this up), this is one of the reasons I'm personally not a huge fan of hormonal birth control for women. I don't want anything messing with my hormones! My moods and level of sexual desire shift throughout the month, and I like that. It also seems really ironic to me that the second a woman can have carefree sex because she's on birth control, she loses her physiological desire to. (I realize this doesn't apply to all women, but I do have many friends who went on the Pill to start having sex, and then they lost all desire to...but still do...which seems ridiculously convoluted & messed up...)

Personally though, I'm not all that worried about this pill. Everyone in this forum seemed to jump to the conclusion that men will inevitably use it to control women, but I think it would be fun for us WOMEN to experiment with. A drug that would make me start winking cheekily at boys AND eat less? Sounds like the perfect solution to a booze-filled Saturday night at a club - I'd be less timid AND less likely to get the munchies! :)

A sincere, but incredibly stupid, question:

Would this help women with sexual dysfunction?

As I understand SD, many women are caught in a vicious cycle. A biological issue makes sexual interaction less satisfying, which decreases her desire for it, which, in turn, makes her less likely to have sex, even if the underlying issue is resolved. From what little I've read, it seems as if treatment of SD involves re-training a woman's body and psyche to both enjoy and crave sexual interaction.

It seems a bit hypocritical to be pro-choice (as most of us here are) and then object to this medication.

Do you really want to be saying 'scientists shouldn't be doing this research, because it starts with the assumption that there is something wrong with women with low libidos, and I'm uncomfortable with you saying that.' Do you really want to take a choice away from other women, because you are uncomfortable with their choices? Isn't that what the forced birthers want to do?

I have an extremely low libido, and always have. My libido goes even lower when I am overweight. So this kind of pill would be perfect for me. Do you really want to make that choice for me?

I would buy this. My libido has dropped HUGELY in the last year or so and I miss it.

It could be the change of pill, longer working hours, I'm not sure.

I also have weird eating habits, where I eat way more than I need then feel sick. I know it's psychological, but if I physically didn't want to it'd really help

Look, political reasons aside, other than the ickiness of thin = sex = happy, I am going to be honest here.

My first thought?

More sex.
Lose weight (as in combating my inclination towards obesity and attaining a healthier weight).

Ooh, where can I buy it?

Honest.

JPlum, I didn't hear anyone say anything about taking away anyone else's choice.

I read a postsecret last week, that was something along the lines of, "I just went though menopause and my libido went with it. Now I'm angry and would rather be bleeding." I believe thats what it said. So I'm sure there are women out there who would use this pill. I guess it just depends on your situation.

KateC my mother is 46 and I know one of the pharmaceutical issues that pisses her off is the fact that so much attention is being paid to ED, which is not that big of a problem, when female sexual dysfunction post menopause is not being seriously addressed. HRT helped with the loss of libido, but now it's being found that there's so many other problems with HRT, but there's nothing else out there help with the sexual issues. My mom hasn't gone through menopause yet, but I think the thought of losing that part of herself scares her a lot.

I think the MARKETING for this pill will be cringe inducing, but the idea of the pill itself doesn't bother me. A lot of pills have un-intended side effects that can be seen as positive. I take Beta-Blockers, which are a blood pressure medication, for anxiety when I have a musical performance. They lower heart rate without making me loopy the way something like Xanax or Valium would. Un-intended side effect that makes my life a lot easier.

You know what also increases libido?

Matriarchal society:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo#Sexual_social_behavior

The Bonobos are our closest living relative and we never fucking hear about them! Why? They have lots of sex, the females are in charge, and they are an almost entirely non-violent society. Gah.

Yeah, I've studied Bonobos. They're pretty awesome, and all the bisexuality is pretty interesting too. Actually, Chimpanzee males and females are also pretty hypersexual mammals, we just tend not to hear about that aspect of their behavior.

Anyway, I'm already skinny and libidinous, and I /still/ think a pill like this is fucking insane. I won't even take hormonal birth control, because I feel functional and I don't want to gamble with that. Did you know that in some countries women don't experience PMS or hot-flashes during menopause? Some scientists think diet may have something to do with it. I've heard the same thing about libido (not to mention having an f-ed up relationship, of course. I've seen women lose their libido b/c of that plenty)

Nina and bettie, I understand your points and I think they're important ones, but I'm also wary of moving this problem into the "it's all in their heads" end of the pool. I've had a few genuine medical problems dismissed that way, as I'm sure all women have. Not every women has the same kind of libido loss so I think we should keep ourselves open to the possibilities of the problem being tied to emotional, physical, or cultural problems on a case by case basis. Some women could gain a more active libido through counseling, diet adjustment, or through this pill. I think anything that helps a woman lead a happier and more complete life is a good thing, even if it's not something all of us need. I need my Seasonale to be happy, but I'm more than willing to concede that it's really not for everyone.

"it's all in their heads" end of the pool"

I don't think either of us said that. Rather, I think there's a big difference between something being related to nutrition, or lifestyle, or culture/self-confidence/relationship problems, than being some unexplainable biological phenomenon that can only be fixed with a pill. I think a lot of people question that latter diagnosis anytime it's given, and wonder with the frequency it's given if it isn't another excuse for not taking women's problems seriously. Even if you don't feel medication has any kind of negative affect on you emotionally, and the dependency doesn't bother you, it can have all sorts of unexpected health side affects later in life.

I'm definitely a believer that some things our culture labels as problems /are/ genetic, I just feel pills are assigned much more often than that, and moreso to women than men.

My appetite setpoint was permanently changed, twice, by hormonal birth control. I eat all the goddamn time now. And my choices are, obsess over food (even attempting to record the calories of everything I eat is so goddamn time-consuming that it makes me want to eat nothing but Lean Cuisines because at least the calories are printed on the box), starve, become more active than I have time in the day for, or find a medication that cuts my appetite without serious negative side effects.

Heightened libido would *not* be a negative side effect.

Having a high libido doesn't make you a sexbot, folks. I used to have a very high libido, and it didn't make me any less picky about *who* I had sex with... it just made me willing to have that sex a lot more often. Nowadays my libido is primarily depressed by my constant overwhelming need for sleep, so I don't *need* a pill for that, just more sleep. But man oh man, I sure could use a pill that suppresses my appetite. I do *not* need to eat enough to maintain 160 lbs when I'm 5'0" and was 100 lbs ten years ago. Cutting my appetite by a third sounds about right.

"Heightened libido would *not* be a negative side effect.

Having a high libido doesn't make you a sexbot, folks. I used to have a very high libido, and it didn't make me any less picky about *who* I had sex with... it just made me willing to have that sex a lot more often."

Who says being less picky about who you want to have sex with is inherently bad? And who says wanting to have sex more often is inherently good? I think people's concerns here, is that our culture has these sort of inaccurate generalizations that men want to have sex more often than women, so all this interest in increasing libido is related to pleasing men. I think, however, there would not be a lot of general support for increasing women's libidos to the point where they would want to have sex /more often/ than would their male partners (I realize that is theoretical because each person has a different libido, but you get what I'm saying...) I think what is good for women is focusing on what /they/ want. So if you don't /want/ sex more often, where are you getting the idea that that want needs to change? Culture perhaps? Pressure from partners, perhaps?

Um, I don't see how decreasing one's appetite by ONE THIRD can possibly be healthy. I'm sure there are some people who need that, but they're most likely a tiny minority. So instead of exercising, women will just be told by whatever company markets it that this is the cure to all their problems. As somebody earlier pointed out, if this hormone actually gets approved for use on humans, women won't have the energy to enjoy their higher libidos.

And, the point that several people made earlier about shitty relationships and their connection to low libido still stands. Not to mention how female sexuality is constantly denigrated, made fun of and looked down on -- hmmm, maybe that has something to do with why some women have low libido? Until I met a lot of women who were open to talking about sex and didn't seem to view the female body as shameful or purely as a sex toy, I had kind of a low libido. Now I'm fucking unstoppable, and I've seen the same thing happen with a lot of my friends as they become more comfortable talking about their bodies and viewing them in a positive light. Maybe this pill/hormone wouldn't be so creepy if there were also some serious efforts in society to also address societal causes of low libido in women. But as usual, people just want a quick fix that's going to bite us in the ass in the end. And yes, I do think this pill will be used by drug companies to turn women into rail-thin male fantasy sexbots, even if that's not what the women who take it intend.

Um, I don't see how decreasing one's appetite by ONE THIRD can possibly be healthy. I'm sure there are some people who need that, but they're most likely a tiny minority. So instead of exercising, women will just be told by whatever company markets it that this is the cure to all their problems. As somebody earlier pointed out, if this hormone actually gets approved for use on humans, women won't have the energy to enjoy their higher libidos.

And, the point that several people made earlier about shitty relationships and their connection to low libido still stands. Not to mention how female sexuality is constantly denigrated, made fun of and looked down on -- hmmm, maybe that has something to do with why some women have low libido? Until I met a lot of women who were open to talking about sex and didn't seem to view the female body as shameful or purely as a sex toy, I had kind of a low libido. Now I'm fucking unstoppable, and I've seen the same thing happen with a lot of my friends as they become more comfortable talking about their bodies and viewing them in a positive light. Maybe this pill/hormone wouldn't be so creepy if there were also some serious efforts in society to also address societal causes of low libido in women. But as usual, people just want a quick fix that's going to bite us in the ass in the end.

And yes, I do think this pill will be used by drug companies to turn women into rail-thin male fantasy sexbots, even if that's not what the women who take it intend. It's a marketing dream -- not only will it appeal to women, but their boyfriends and husbands will nag and haggle them until they get it, which means a lot of women who don't need it will get it nonetheless. And if they can't get it from their doctors because they don't medically qualify, believe me, they'll find it somewhere else, and who knows how safe that source will be?

Regarding Libido and Appetite:

The findings aren't surprising from a biological perspective.

There is a great deal of evidence that sex, hunger, and sleep drives are in direct conflict with each other - Dr. Jill Schneider has done most of the hormonal work examining this hypothesis. So as one goes up, the others go down.

For example, a recent comprehensive review of the literature showed that women's appetite decreases during the fertile phase of the ovulatory cycle. Presumably this occurs because this system would have been adaptive in the ancestral past for motivating sexual activity during phases of high fertility.

P.S. sorry, that last sentence of mine was unclear. It would promote sexual activity because a) decreased appetite shifts energy away from food search mechanisms and b)allows this energy to be devoted to mate search and mating activities [interest in sex is tied to peaks in estrogen and progesterone near ovulation).

"There needs to be a group of women scientists to develop and pill that will make men find so-called unattractive women sexy and dance with them even though they aren't a size -8."

Umm...
Viagra?
Cialis?
Levitra?
Jack Daniels?

"The findings aren't surprising from a biological perspective.

There is a great deal of evidence that sex, hunger, and sleep drives are in direct conflict with each other - Dr. Jill Schneider has done most of the hormonal work examining this hypothesis. So as one goes up, the others go down."

Perhaps these are the findings of this one researcher, but I've heard the exact opposite, personally.

Also, in a lot of early societies, women would not have their periods throughout the year. They would only be fertile when they had a minimum amount of fat on their body (like my roommate actually says she stops getting her period in the summer because she exercizes so hard). Being a certain minimum wait is crucial to being healthy and to being fertile (and I would expect to feeling sexy).

"Anyway, I'm already skinny and libidinous, and I /still/ think a pill like this is fucking insane."

The fact you're "skinny and libidinous" actually makes it more likely, not less, IMO for you to think it's insane

I'm not overweight, though I have put on weight in the last year. I have a problem not with how much I eat but with wanting to eat more than I need. I don't want to fight my body over something so basic, it is stressful

I've always had an extremely high libido(ie: felt genuinely irritable if I went more than a day and a bit without sex). I miss wanting sex.

So when I was slimmer and was actually interested in sex (barely there now :( ) I would have been much less interested than now

"I won't even take hormonal birth control, because I feel functional and I don't want to gamble with that."

I think that is probably the sticking point. I take the progestogen-only pill expressly so as not to get my period. I see my body and emotions being affected monthly by internal hormones as much more intrusive than keeping an "unnatural" flatline. I don't want to be dictated to by menstration

"Um, I don't see how decreasing one's appetite by ONE THIRD can possibly be healthy. I'm sure there are some people who need that, but they're most likely a tiny minority."

I think it's rushing to judgment about whether or not that is healthy. It reminds me of all the studies of rats who were give 70% of their daily caloric needs. Compared to rats given 100% of their caloric needs, they lived longer.

So really the pill might make you want sex more, eat less, AND live longer.

Sign me up.

"Perhaps these are the findings of this one researcher, but I've heard the exact opposite, personally. "

Sorry, I'll clarify, she has done a great deal of work doing meta-analyses and summaries of the literature, which all points to that conclusion. The review of the ovulatory phase effect was by a separate researcher in Quarterly Review of Biology