Counseling/Sex Therapy

Through therapy, a number of factors can be addressed, such as issues around intimacy, physical health, and cultural norms, and may include cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, and/or sex therapy.1

Sex Therapy

Sex therapy is a type of psychotherapy that provides sexual guidance to partners with sexual incompatibilities or sexual dysfunction. Topics that might be addressed include basic anatomy and physiology, what normal sexual response is, and how sexuality changes as a person ages.2

PHARMACOLOGIC THERAPY

Pharmacological therapy is the use of drugs in the treatment of a condition.  Your doctor may consider a number of options depending on your condition.  In Canada, there is currently only one drug  (flibanserin) that has a specific indication for a subset of HSDD patients. Flibanserin (trade name: PRAddyi®)3 is indicated for the treatment of premenopausal women with acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), as characterized by low sexual desire for a minimum of 6 months, which occurs 75-100% of the time, that causes marked distress or interpersonal difficulty and is NOT due to:

  •    A co-existing medical or psychiatric condition
  •    Problems within the relationship
  •    The effects of a medication or other drug substance

Further, there are contraindications and warnings and precautions to taking flibanserin with other medications or medical conditions and these would be considered by your doctor.3

Natural Therapy

Natural therapy includes the use of natural products and non-pharmacological interventions in the treatment of a condition. Many natural products claim to help with sexual desire. Your doctor would consider the benefits and contraindications of each.

Lifestyle changes, like a healthy diet and getting a good night’s sleep, have also been positively correlated with higher levels of sexual desire.4

References

1. Bradway C, Boullata J. Pharmacologic therapy for female sexual dysfunction. 2.Maclaran K, Panay N. Managing low sexual desire in women. Women’s Health. 2011;7:571–583. 3.Addyi–Flibanserin product monograph: http://hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php