The question could land you in trouble so let’s expalain some things, before we go any further. Because of the functional difference between men and women, it’s fairly easy to see whether a man is sexually excited. For the expectant and cooperative partner, the real test whether the erection is sufficiently hard to penetrate. If not, all those expectations are dashed in a wave of frustration (usually on both sides). But as for women, there are less obvious signs of excitement. It may be an extra lubrication, perhaps a hardening of the nipples. A there isn’t an equivalent of an erection to signal readiness, most women tend to be cast in the role of the passive partner. For both men and women, the common factor is libido or the lack of it. In theory, this is the basic human drive to procreate.

Put most animals of the same species together and, sooner or later, both will mate. It’s genetically built into species that the strongest will survive through their “offspring”. This gives all animals, including humans, an appetite for sex. The fact we might be thinking animals and can talk our way into and out of enthusiasm for any activity, does not change the basic drive to engage in sex. After all, our bodies reward us by making it so enjoyable. However, this reality of enjoyment can be lost. For example people seriously stressed or depressed tend to lose interest in sex. Sometimes, even though not depressed, people also seem to have a weak libido producing poor performance in intimate situations. In psychology, this can be because of body image problems like obesity, or because of traumatic sexual experiences as children. But, in physical terms, it can be evidence of a disease of the thyroid, low levels of hormones or other measurable disorders. It can equally be something simple like loss of sleep or problems in the relationship.

In women, low libido can be realted related to the menstrual cycle. Whatever the reason, it really happens that both men and women do lose interest in sex. The solutionfor men came with the arrival of Viagra. If the men had been avoiding sex because of performance anxiety, this wonder drug could resolve that problem and sex could resume. This led many to ask whether a similar drug should be produced for women. At this point, many women started shouting that the last thing they needed was the pharmaceutical industry treating lack of enthusiasm for sex as a disorder requiring treatment with a new miracle drug.

This did not stop Big Pharma which produced a drug called Girosa. The Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory Committee of the FDA has now ruled this female Viagra an unnecessary addition to the list of approved drugs. The Committee’s ruling does not bind the FDA, but no other country has approved this drug. If experts around the world see nothing in this drug to improve the lives of women, it seems unlikely the FDA will break ranks. The result should therefore be to leave Viagra on the market without a female equivalent. There’s no need to create a problem where none really exists, call it sexual hypoactivity, and then develop a drug to cure it. Women really are not the same as men.