Medical therapy for female sexual dysfunction

Abstract

Sexual dysfunction is an extremely common problem in the gynecologic patient population, affecting over 40% of women. There is little consensus, however, as to the appropriate treatment of women with sexual dysfunction. This review will evaluate the epidemiology and etiology of sexual dysfunction including menopause, aging, hormone deficiency, and vascular insufficiency. It will then evaluate some potential medical therapies for female sexual dysfunction in terms of their risks and benefits. It will specifically address the use of estrogen and androgen supplementation, dehydroepiandrosterone, tibolone, and sildenafil. All of these therapies have shown some benefit in select patient populations. However, large-scale, randomized placebo-controlled double-blind trials remain to be done to establish the true long-term efficacy and side effects of these interventions.