# Is there a drug similar to Viagra that is made for women? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 3, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929 "2004-12-03T18:31:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Voluble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/4af34b/32.png) [@Voluble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voluble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/1 "2004-12-03T18:31:04Z")
We all have seen the spam advertising this or that herbal remedy etc… but is there any scientifically proven libido enhancement for women? Jokes, anecdotes, personal experience and recriminations are all welcome… but I wouldn’t mind seeing a serious answer somewhere along the way. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/2 "2004-12-03T18:41:48Z")
[Intrinsa](http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/oct2004/nf20041028_8091_db016.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/3 "2004-12-03T18:44:00Z")
Yes, the testosterone patch. [Google](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=testosterone+patch) provides lots of hits on it. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/4 "2004-12-03T18:56:00Z")
However, I don’t believe it is currently available yet, it is still being tested by the FDA. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/5 "2004-12-03T19:00:39Z")
The FDA recently [voted against](http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/12/02/female.patch.ap/index.html) allowing Intrinsa, stating that the drug needed much more research. There is some evidence that it might cause breast cancer, and the FDA said this had not been studied satisfactorally, among other complaints. ---
**Author:** ![SavageNarce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@SavageNarce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SavageNarce)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/6 "2004-12-03T19:24:07Z")
Since the purpose of Viagra is to help a man achieve/sustain an erection, I am not sure what the “female equivalent” would actually do… are we talking something to enhance lubrication, or some sort of modern day “spanish fly” that induces arousal? ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/7 "2004-12-03T19:41:00Z")
I ordered something from the shopping channel I thought would work on my wife but didn’t - diamonique.😃 ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/8 "2004-12-03T20:00:21Z")
If you are looking for increased drive, then you are looking for Intrinsa and you can’t get it. If you are looking for medications to enhance lubriciousness there are several options, but as far as I know they require a prescription so consult your doctor. My girlfriend has tried one or two as she is going through a dry phase due to other medications. They did not work. If this is what you are looking for I suggest going to the local drug store and buying some lube. Either that or saliva works quite well. ---
**Author:** ![SusanStoHelit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@SusanStoHelit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SusanStoHelit)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/9 "2004-12-03T20:05:35Z")
Testosterone is used in menopausal and post-menopausal women to increase sex drive, and estrogen creams are used on/in the vagina to promote lubrication. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/10 "2004-12-03T21:29:42Z")
As yet, there is no “female viagra”. Remember, viagra is not a libido enhancer. It improves blood flow to the penis, thereby enabling men with erectile dysfunction who have well-functioning libidos to get a better erection. The men have to put up with the side-effects and hope that said effects don’t kill the libido. Testosterone improves the sex drive in women, but won’t help repair physiologic dysfunction which might prevent proper pelvic engorgement. Estrogen rebuilds vaginal tissue, but also doesn’t help much with the physiology of pelvic engorgement. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/11 "2004-12-03T22:28:42Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Testosterone improves the sex drive in women. The NY Times article on the FDA vote against Intrinsa mentioned that the drug increased a woman’s frequency of ‘satisfying sexual experiences’ by an average of one episode per month. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/12 "2004-12-03T22:47:10Z")
My wife swears up and down that eating sushi makes her horny as hell, and the available empirical evidence definitely supports this. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even \*suggest \* we go out for sushi unless I mean business. I have Googled to no end looking for a physiological explanation for this phenomenon, to no avail. I came to the conclusion that it is simply a placebo effect. On the other hand, maybe there is a molecular basis for this and I just can’t find it. If anybody (particularly female members of this message board) would care to offer up any personal anecdotal input on this subject, I would mightily appreciate it. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/13 "2004-12-03T23:25:12Z")
The the corpora cavernosa of the penis and clitoris are quite similar, and cyclic GMP-mediated signaling is involved in regulating smooth muscle tone in the vasculature of said tissues in both men and women; and importantly, the same phosphodiesterase is expressed in both the [clitoris](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9731184) and [vagina](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12100961). Hence, sildenafil and other drugs of its class do indeed increase engorgement of regions of the female genitalia involved in physical arousal. There have been reports of some improvements in [menopausal](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10096370) women, and women experiencing sexual dysfunction caused by [SSRIs](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9817955), though I don’t know how seriously such small and uncontrolled studies can be taken. The former study appears more robust, and the benefits seemed to be rather modest, with only some changes in lubrication and sensitivty reported. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/14 "2004-12-03T23:43:36Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > The NY Times article on the FDA vote against Intrinsa mentioned that the drug increased a woman’s frequency of ‘satisfying sexual experiences’ by an average of one episode per month. The difference between testosterone and placebo groups was statistically significant. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/15 "2004-12-03T23:46:15Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > The the corpora cavernosa of the penis and clitoris are quite similar, and cyclic GMP-mediated signaling is involved in regulating smooth muscle tone in the vasculature of said tissues in both men and women; and importantly, the same phosphodiesterase is expressed in both the [clitoris](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9731184) and [vagina](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12100961). Hence, sildenafil and other drugs of its class do indeed increase engorgement of regions of the female genitalia involved in physical arousal. There have been reports of some improvements in [menopausal](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=10096370) women, and women experiencing sexual dysfunction caused by [SSRIs](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=9817955), though I don’t know how seriously such small and uncontrolled studies can be taken. The former study appears more robust, and the benefits seemed to be rather modest, with only some changes in lubrication and sensitivty reported. Neither study shows a statistically significant change for women using sildenafil. There was great hope for women’s physiological dysfunction being improved by sildenafil when it first came out, based on the model of how it ought to work. This benefit has not yet been seen for women. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/16 "2004-12-03T23:52:05Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > Neither study shows a statistically significant change for women using sildenafil. Nope, and even if they did, I’d not take it too seriously without properly-designed followups. Still, there may be some ladies who could be helped with Viagra, though I guess they’d have a pretty specific set of concerns. ---
**Author:** ![Voluble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/4af34b/32.png) [@Voluble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voluble)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2004, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-drug-similar-to-viagra-that-is-made-for-women/277929/17 "2004-12-04T22:16:20Z")
Libido enhancement is more what she is looking for. Astroglide is a miracle worker for lubrication problems… at least for us 🙂 . I have noticed that her desire will vary depending on which brand of birth control pill she takes. Of course, I could just try showering now and again but there is a limit to what a man can be expected to do! :eek: (just kidding)