The Food and Drug Administration is considering a patch that increases female sexual desire and pleasure, but it's too early to tell who will benefit, said Elaine Plummer, spokesperson for manufacturer Procter & Gamble.
"We hear from women loud and clear that there is this medical need and we are committed to answering that need," Plummer said. "They're concerned by the decline of sexual desire and deserve a safe and therapeutic option."
But a committee that advises the FDA recently reported that additional research should be done before the Intrinsa patch is released to the general public.
"The committee felt that additional studies need to be done to ensure the safety of the patch for individual use for a considerable amount of time," said Crystal Rice, spokesperson for the FDA.
Rice said while the committee's opinion is taken into the final decision, it does not form the entire administration's opinion.
Plummer said the initial studies for the patch were in conjunction with the FDA. The study focused on women who went through natural and surgical menopause and as a result experienced a lag in their sexual desire.
"Women overwhelmingly report less satisfaction with sexual relationships than men do," said Dennis Martell, Olin Health Center Health Education Services coordinator
According to the 2002 National College Health Assessment insert, of the MSU students that answered questions about their sexual relationships, 30 percent reported their sexual lives were somewhat satisfactory.
An additional 7 percent reported they were somewhat unsatisfied with their sex lives and 1.8 percent reported they were very unsatisfied.
And studies for the Intrinsa patch by Procter & Gamble revealed dissatisfaction with sexual relationships often impacted women's self image, Plummer said.
An unsatisfactory sex life can also cause problems in relationships and if a healthy remedy for declining sexual pleasure exists, women should have the chance to use it, Martell said.
"We can't underestimate the importance people put on having a sexually-satisfying life, but it shouldn't come at the cost of side effects and health problems," he said.
Martell said studies should be done to ensure the safety of the drug.
"Any time you put a synthetic hormone in your body it can be dangerous," he said. "But if it proves to be safe, then the research should be done."
Bobby Tighe, a political science and pre-law senior, said he thinks society chooses artificial medicines as an easy solution, but it's not the best option.
He also said our society might have a problem with the medical world aiding women's sexuality.
"When you have something to increase men's sexual drive, society's all about it," he said. "But women are not supposed to have sex drives - they're supposed to be refined, orderly, motherly and maternal."
But no-preference freshman Katie Lachance said society has taken strides, and medications like birth control have paved the way for treatments like Intrinsa.
Plummer said unlike drugs available to men, such as Viagra, the Intrinsa patch is not to enhance performance.
"It's for women who have lost their desire and are distressed by it," she said. "It's not an overnight sex drug."
