In the News – The Placebo Effect Improves Sex Drive in Women

Snippet from the non-hair-loss-related article:

“Faking it” has long been associated with bad sex for some women, but a new study provides a pleasant twist on that phrase. According to a paper released today in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, the placebo effect may increase sex drive for women suffering from sexual dysfunction.

“It may be that their behavior changed as part of getting treatment, even if the treatment itself was an inert tablet,” said Andrea Bradford, lead study author.

It was a small study: 200 women who had been diagnosed with female sexual arousal disorder – difficulty becoming aroused or maintaining sexual activity – participated in a study to find out whether a popular male erectile dysfunction drug – Cialis – could also treat female sexual dysfunction. The women agreed to engage in sex acts over the course of 12 weeks and keep a diary. Fifty women were chosen at random to receive a placebo rather than the investigational drug.

Read the full story at CNN — Fake pill improved sex drive in women

Ah yes…. the power of suggestion. We’ve written about this phenomena before, usually in relation to Propecia side effects. This, however, is early research into a female libido booster and a third of those women given sugar pills noted a higher sex drive after taking what they believed to be medication.