Enough already. The beauty and fashion industries already have us feeling inadequate about our looks. Now the pill makers are piling on to make us feel inadequate about our sexuality.
Postmenopausal women who don’t much care about sex anymore are being told they should spice up their lives. Women have long been pushed to look and act a certain way, and now we’re supposed to be able to turn our sexual response on and off. In fact, we’re supposed to be hot all the time.
Seriously? Not only do we work and take care of the kids and build our communities and exercise to stay thin and athletic; now we should start taking a pill so we will always be ready to get it on with our man. Sheesh!
Does the Little Pink Pill Work?
Google “pink pill for women” and you’ll find a whole host of options for heating up your life. OK, so some are actually white pills, but all these came up when I Google’d pink pill, meaning their promoters are using that term somewhere on their websites.
There’s the female equivalent of Viagra®. Flibanserin failed as an antidepressant but women reported it gave them more good sex per month. The drug manufacturer has continued work, hoping to develop it as a non-hormonal treatment for hypoactive sexual disorder, a condition in which women are not interested in sex, don’t desire it and don’t fantasize about it. Study participants took a daily pill and kept a diary about their sexual thoughts and experiences. If you believe, as I do, that what you focus on increases, you might get most of the same benefit just by starting a sex diary!
The FDA has so far refused to approve it, saying it is an ineffective treatment. Women advocates who oppose it agree, saying further that this is a mostly manufactured disorder. More about that in the last paragraph.
Which Little Pink Pill for Women Is Best?
In 2013 the FDA approved Osphena, a treatment for dyspareunia, or painful intercourse. Estrogen-based medications, creams and rings have been available for this for a long time, but some women are still wary, even though research has shown they don’t raise systemic levels of hormones much and there’s no evidence of increased breast cancer risk. Osphena is related to cancer prevention drugs like Tamoxifene that have a positive estrogen-like effect in some tissues (in this case the vagina) and an anti-estrogen effect in other tissues (breast). Survivors of estrogen-sensitive cancers are wise to be cautious, but know that the FDA has said Osphena hasn’t been adequately studied in women with breast cancer so should not be taken by such women. It’s also shown to slightly increase blood clots and stroke.
Google will also serve up a host of wannabe pink pills that make extravagant claims from some astoundingly cheesy websites. One claims to increase desire, lubrication and orgasm, and to reduce fatigue and that “not in the mood” feeling. All for just $35 a month. Oh, and it’s offered on a weight-loss website so you can take care of another of your biggest life problems while you’re there. Since there’s no mention of the ingredients, this one is a flying leap of faith.
What About Herbal Pink Pills?
Then there’s a pink herbal pill called Lady Prelox containing pine bark extract touted as a female Viagra that will supposedly increase a woman’s sexual pleasure. This one, sold in the UK, costs around $64 a month. The manufacturer claims the pill “boosts libido and increases arousal in women”, because it “encourages blood flow to the reproductive organs as well as the brain.”
And a British drug maker is hard at work on a tablet called Orlibid that’s designed to boost women’s sex drive, and they’re saying it may also help curb appetite. Now that’s a marketing bonanza, right? This one is a synthetic melanin, which is a hormone usually associated with tanning. The promise of increased desire is based on tiny studies, done without control groups, and paid for by the manufacturer. Hmmm. The market for the male version currently tops $16 million a year. No price on this yet, but I’m betting this pill for women will be pink, too!
Or would you prefer the pink pill that contains Chinese and Brazilian herbs and will not only help your sexual function but will settle your nerves, improve digestion and cure exhaustion and Alzheimer’s (among other ailments). Just take one or two capsules an hour before you want to get it on. There’s no limit to these formulations, each with a different combo of herbal ingredients with many supposed benefits.
Why the Pink Pill Might Not Work
So pick your poison – um, I mean preparation. Or, you could remind yourself that a woman’s sexual response is complex and that decreased libido might actually indicate you need to work on your relationship. Maybe you (and/or your partner) are bored. Maybe you need to spend more time communicating what you like, or maybe you need to spend fewer hours at work, or get more rest. If sex hurts, by all means talk to your doctor about correcting that so you can enjoy the fun again. But if there’s another part of your life that is out of balance, a pill isn’t likely to help.
~Dr. Nancy