Womens Herbal Viagra News

Herbal Viagra for women, Female Herbal Viagra, Women’s herbal Viagra?
Two years after Viagra stormed the market and revived erections for millions of men, many women are asking whether there is a Viagra for women solution for them.
Just how large is the market for viagra for women? Some 43 percent of women suffer with sexual dysfunction, compared to 31 percent of men, according to University of Chicago researcher Dr. Edward Laumann. And some $2 to $3 billion will be spent within the next ten years on products aimed at improving the sex lives of these women.
The Drivers of Female Sexual Dysfunction
Female sexual dysfunction is characterized by a lack of desire, arousal and orgasm. Lack of desire is the chief complaint among women, affecting about one-third of them at some point in their lives, says Cindy Meston, assistant professor of clinical psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Cause?
A woman's lack of sexual interest is often tied to her relationship with her partner, says Sandra Lieblum, director for sexual and marital health at the UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, N.J. "The important sex organ [for women] is between the ears. Men need a place for having sex—women need a purpose," she says. But it can also be triggered by family concerns, illness or death, financial or job worries, childcare responsibilities, managing a career and children, previous or current physical and emotional abuse, fatigue and depression.

Indeed, female sexual dysfunction seems to be psychologically—rather than physically—rooted. "What the genitals are doing may play a less important role in how a woman defines her sexual arousal," says Meston. "I don't think there will ever be an aphrodisiac that will make [women] want to have sex all the time."
That's not to say its causes aren't physical, Lieblum says. Hypertension, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, thyroid disorders, neurological diseases and autoimmune disorders like lupus can all contribute to a woman's lack of sexual desire. Other factors include prescriptions drugs, particularly anti-hypertensives and depression medication, as well as over-the-counter medications and illegal drugs and alcohol abuse.

Why Not Viagra?
Viagra is designed to increase blood flow to the genitals. Viagra works well for many men who suffer with impotence—or erectile dysfunction—because it's considered a physical—rather than an emotional—problem. That's not to say that Viagra can't "restore function" for women, says Dr. Myron Murdoch, clinical instructor of urology at George Washington Medical School. It can, but it's not for all women.

While Viagra-like drugs may help the 20 percent of women reported to have difficulties with lubrication (blood flow to the female genitals increase lubrication), it's unknown to what degree such drugs would help the 43 percent of women with sexual dysfunction who either say they're uninterested in sex or that sex provides little pleasure.

Cure in a Pill?
Even so, drug companies—banking on the success of Viagra—hope to find its female equivalent. At the moment, they are focused on developing a drug that increases blood flow to the female genitals, resulting in vaginal lubrication and relaxing vaginal muscles.
The concept is similar to Viagra, which increases blood flow to the penis, resulting in an erection. So far, there are some promising drugs on the horizon. These include prostaglandin, already approved for men, apomorphine and phentolamine, both of which are being tested for arousal disorder in women.

Whether drug companies succeed, the good news is that women needn't wait for a sex pill. They have options. Research shows that exercise, counseling, vaginal lubrication products and sex videos all can help put spur a woman's libido.

What's more, the three following options—while scientifically unproven—are readily available and also hold the promise for improving a woman's sex life.

L-arginine amino acid cream.
The same amino acid that has been used by athletes to promote muscle development is purported to increase blood flow to the female genitals, thus sparking sexual urges. "Our informal studies on 500 patients showed that 70 percent of women who applied this cream to the clitoris and labia a half hour before sex reported more arousal and stronger orgasms," says Dr. Jed Kaminetsky, clinical assistant professor of urology at the New York School of Medicine.

Viagra for women, more and more are turning to the impotence drug
From Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen
ATLANTA (CNN) -- The popular impotence drug for men, Viagra, has been on the market for seven months. But now, thousands of women with sexual problems are also taking the little blue pill.

According the Pfizer, the drug's manufacturer, Viagra has been prescribed for some 150,000 women.

They include Joanne Dorman who had a hysterectomy eight years ago, an operation that some doctors say can lead to a decreased interest in sex. Joanne Dorman had a hysterectomy eight years ago. She now takes Viagra and says sex with her husband is 'fabulous.'

" It was more of a job or a task, not a pleasurable event," she said.
But after taking Viagra, she says sex with her husband is a lot better.
" It's fabulous, it's fabulous. It's an enjoyable moment in our life."
Viagra works for both men and women by increasing the blood flow to the genitals. Women need this blood flow, just as men do, to achieve sexual arousal.
Pfizer researcher Dr.Irwin Goldstein said he and his colleagues at Boston University Medical Center have not done a Viagra study with women, but says they have prescribed the drug to some 50 female patients. He said it has worked for most of them.
" It has shown evidence of enhanced lubrication, less pain, more arousal, less problems with orgasm," Goldstein said.

The Food and Drug Administration has not yet approved Viagra for women, but doctors can prescribe it for both sexes.

Goldstein said there's no reason to think the side effects, such as headaches and temporary visual problems, will be any different than in men. Viagra for men and woman can be deadly of taken with heart medicine containing nitrates.
According the Pfizer, the drug's manufacturer, Viagra has been prescribed for some 150,000 women

Currently, there is no definitive research on Viagra and women.

Bioethicist Arthur Caplan, who as been a consultant to Pfizer, said it's not yet safe for women to take.

" While I think it's worth exploring whether Viagra might be beneficial to women, it's absolutely not time to be prescribing it to women," he said.

Bur Dorman disagrees.
" I think that if we want to continue to have a caring, family-oriented relationship amongst couples, there are women who have needs that must be addressed as equally as their male counterparts," she said.

It will be next year before Pfizer releases its results of studies with women and Viagra. Meanwhile, other pharmaceutical companies are investigating other treatments for women with sexual problems.