The unexpected results of a study of a hormone drug has left researchers questioning the real source of sexual dysfunction in women.
Over an 8-month period, researchers at the Medical University of Vienna observed the effects of oxytocin — often referred to as the “cuddle hormone” or “trust hormone” — on women struggling with low sexual libidos. In the process, researchers stumbled upon an entirely different solution altogether to improve women’s sex lives: Basic communication between partners.
“This was not predicted at all,” said lead researcher Michaela Bayerle-Eder. “It just naturally came out of the process.”
Half of the women involved in the study used an oxytocin nasal spray before having sex. The other half used a placebo spray. All of the women were required to work with their partner to write journal entries and fill out a questionnaire about their experience after having sex — with the purpose of revealing any oxytocin-related effects to the researchers.
However, the study found that both groups of women had achieved equally improved sexual function and enjoyment as a result. While the hormone may have played a small part, researchers stressed that increased discussion about sex between couples may have caused the real shift.
“Some couples who’d been together for years were sharing their sexual fantasies with each other for the first time. Sharing what they didn’t like about the sex they’ve always had,” Bayerle-Eder said. “Their unique satisfactions were never really talked about until now.”
Instead of instantly blaming a woman’s hormone imbalance, couples should be honest and open about their sexual desires to make sure they’re on the same page.
Female sexual health is finally being recognized by pharmaceutical companies and the public — we want to keep it that way.
The idea of communication improving sexual function isn’t anything new. Previous studies have confirmed that young women are less likely to orgasm during casual sexual experiences, perhaps because they’re not comfortable telling their male partners what they want.
But the focus on developing female sexual dysfunction medications — often called “female viagra” — is more novel. In August, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the sale of flibanserin, a drug used to increase serotonin a woman’s brain and, in the process, increase her sex drive. It marked the first time that a drug targeted at women’s low sex drives has been approved for the market. A coalition of feminist groups that backed flibanserin suggested it may have taken so long because of a “persistent gender bias” in the federal agency, and a general societal aversion to prioritizing women’s sexual pleasure.
However, the so-called “little pink pill” isn’t without controversy. The blend of dangerous side effects and potentially flawed science behind it (and a lack of clear success rates) has left the drug under harsh critique — and pitted woman’s rights advocates against each other. Plus, some sex experts say that women’s sexuality doesn’t need to be medicalized by the pharmaceutical industry.
Oxytocin, while legal in the U.S., has only been used to induce labor — and is currently being studied as a drug to cure schizophrenia and autism.
Bayerle-Eder said she may recommend oxytocin be studied as an antidepressant, but not as a libido-booster. But she added that her results shouldn’t discourage further scientific research into sexual dysfunction in women — or lead other researchers to conclude that libido issues can be blamed entirely on poor communication.
“This is definitely a necessary field of study. Sexual dysfunction is still a real problem with women. The more research in this field, the better,” Bayerle-Eder said. “Female sexual health is finally being recognized by pharmaceutical companies and the public — we want to keep it that way.”