The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a new drug for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women. Bremelanotide (to be marketed as Vyleesi) is used on-demand. Bremelanotide is a peptide [...]
Randomized controlled trials of pharmacologic agents for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) have typically shown significant placebo responses. In a recent meta-analysis, researchers have assessed the magnitude of this effect. The analysis was [...]
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is the most common type of female sexual dysfunction, affecting approximately 10% of all adult women. In certain populations of women that we see in our clinic, including women [...]
Both men and women produce testosterone. The big difference is that the levels are much lower in women, around 15 to 40 ng/dL. In women, testosterone levels begin to decline gradually after the age of 20. In postmenopausal women, testosterone levels are between 0 and 20 ng/dL. Various symptoms have been attributed to falling levels of testosterone in midlife women, including lower sex drive, decreased muscle mass and bone density, decline in cognitive functioning, and depression. Some refer to this constellation of symptoms as “female androgen insufficiency syndrome”; others debate the clinical validity of this diagnosis in women.
