Exploring “female Viagra,” women’s libidos and sexual dysfunction

Guests: Thea Cacchioni, Meredith Chivers, and Debby Herbenick

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recently backed the female libido drug, flibanserin.  The FDA has rejected so-called “female Viagra” twice to date, but will rule on the controversial drug for a third time in August.  Flibanserin’s supporters claim sexism has kept it off the shelves.  But health experts point to serious side effects, and say female sexual dysfunction cannot be fixed with a pill.  We discuss the drug and its effectiveness, and explore the female libido and sexual dysfunction with THEA CACCHIONI, a sociologist and assistant professor of women’s studies at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, MEREDITH CHIVERS, associate professor of psychology at Queen’s University in Ontario, and DEBBY HERBENICK, Director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University and author of The Coregasm Workout.