Female Sexual Arousal Disorder: Can Drug Interventions Play a Role?

Several theorists have suggested that the majority of female sexual difficulties reflect disruptions in sexual arousal. Female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD), defined as the "...persistent or recurrent inability to attain, or to maintain until completion of the sexual activity, an adequate lubrication-swelling response of sexual excitement," can cause marked distress or interpersonal difficulty.1

Orgasm is impossible without physical arousal, and a lack of such arousal commonly leads to a lack of psychological desire because sexual activity is not enjoyable. FSAD rarely presents alone and often coexists with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), which features a lack of psychological markers such as thoughts, fantasies, and desire for se…