Currently, it is believed that Flibanserin works to increase sexual desire by simply reducing the level of serotonin in the brain, which results in a reduction of inhibitory effects that are likely to be the cause of the lack of sexual desire. However, this information has not been totally verified and is still, really, just a hypothesis.

Initially, Flibanserin was introduced to work as an anti-depressant back in the 1990s – but testing proved that it was ineffective. Michael Sand, the Director of Clinical Research for Boehringer-Ingelheim, the producer of Flibanserin, stated, “We saw an increase in sexually satisfying events, an increase in desire and a decrease in distress. When we look at this against a backdrop of a common and distressing problem that affects 1 of 10 women and for which no treatment exists, well, we are feeling very positive.”

So, do the results agree? In the clinical trials, women who were taking Flibanserin increased their ‘sexually satisfying events’ by 1.7 a month, while those under the effects of the Placebo had 1 more event a month. However, some experts believe that treating Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) with a drug may not be the best solution. They believe that it would be better to treat the issues in the lives of women that are effecting their sexual desire, rather than ignoring them and switching to a medical treatment.

Viagra for women? Not quite. Viagra works in men by producing an erection through the process of increasing the flow to blood to the penis. Though, the issue in women, is that they entirely lack the desire to have sex and are therefore physically unable – they lose an interest in sex altogether.

Scientists believe that women affected by Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder may suffer from low levels of testosterone. Many women in the United States currently utilize testosterone treatments to remedy their low libidos. However, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any such treatments for HSDD due to potential safety concerns. One drug that is especially interesting in LibiGel, produced by BioSante, which is a testosterone gel undergoing Phase III Clinical Trials.