A Guide to ‘Female Viagra’

“It depends on how you define things,” she says. “Is that awesome, or is that not so great? When I’m counseling a patient, I kind of leave that to their discretion and let them decide what that means for them.”

Investigating women’s preference for sildenafil or tadalafil use by their partners with erectile dysfunction: the partners’ preference study

Introduction: Several preference studies comparing a short-acting with a longer-acting phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor have been conducted in men. Most men in those studies preferred tadalafil rather than sildenafil, and recent post hoc analysis of one study described several factors associated with men’s treatment preference. No prospective studies have investigated the woman partners’ preferences.

Aim: To investigate the treatment preference of women who were partners of men using oral medications for erectile dysfunction (ED) in a single-center open-label crossover study.

Methods: One hundred heterosexual couples in stable relationships, with male partners having ED based on the erectile function subscale of the International Index of Erectile Function, were randomly assigned to receive sildenafil or tadalafil for a 12-week phase, followed by another 12-week period using the alternate drug. Male and female participants completed sexual event diaries during both study phases, and the female participants were interviewed at baseline, midpoint, and end of study.

Main outcome measures: Primary outcome data were the women’s final interviews during which they were asked which drug they preferred and their reasons for that preference.

Results: A total of 79.2% of the women preferred their partners’ use of tadalafil, while 15.6% preferred sildenafil. Preference was not affected by age or treatment order randomization. Women preferring tadalafil reported feeling more relaxed, experiencing less pressure, and enjoying a more natural or spontaneous sexual experience as reasons for their choice. Mean number of tablets used, events recorded, events per week, and days between events were not significantly different during each study phase.

Conclusion: Women’s preferences were similar to men when using these two drugs. While the women’s reasons for preferring tadalafil emphasized relaxed, satisfying, longer-lasting sexual experiences, those preferring sildenafil focused on satisfaction and drug effectiveness for their partner.

Cited by

Kim M, Noh Y, Yamada A, Hong SH. Kim M, et al. JMIR Med Inform. 2022 Feb 28;10(2):e32689. doi: 10.2196/32689. JMIR Med Inform. 2022. PMID: 35225813 Free PMC article.

Domes T, Najafabadi BT, Roberts M, Campbell J, Flannigan R, Bach P, Patel P, Langille G, Krakowsky Y, Violette PD. Domes T, et al. Can Urol Assoc J. 2021 Dec;15(12):426-428. doi: 10.5489/cuaj.7679. Can Urol Assoc J. 2021. PMID: 34847349 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Domes T, Najafabadi BT, Roberts M, Campbell J, Flannigan R, Bach P, Patel P, Langille G, Krakowsky Y, Violette PD. Domes T, et al. Can Urol Assoc J. 2021 Oct;15(10):310-322. doi: 10.5489/cuaj.7572. Can Urol Assoc J. 2021. PMID: 34665713 Free PMC article.

Zhou Z, Chen H, Wu J, Wang J, Zhang X, Ma J, Cui Y. Zhou Z, et al. Sex Med. 2019 Sep;7(3):282-291. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2019.06.006. Epub 2019 Jul 12. Sex Med. 2019. PMID: 31307951 Free PMC article. Review.

Lee M, Sharifi R. Lee M, et al. Drugs Aging. 2018 Mar;35(3):175-187. doi: 10.1007/s40266-018-0528-4. Drugs Aging. 2018. PMID: 29464656 Review.

A Guide to ‘Female Viagra’

For many women, sexual desire goes up and down over the years, often tied to changes in relationships, stress, and physical changes like pregnancy and menopause. But roughly 10% of women deal with a low sex drive that causes them distress. It’s a condition known as hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD).

There are a few over-the-counter supplements that aim to treat the problem, which have limited, mostly unproven, effects. But in recent years, the FDA has approved two prescription drugs to treat HSDD. These treatments are often referred to as “female Viagra” — a nod to one of the medicines that men can take for sexual problems. But they’re not much like Viagra at all. In fact, they work very differently inside the body.

“In men, Viagra fixes a ‘plumbing problem,’ if you will,” says Judith Volkar, MD, of the UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital in Pittsburgh. Viagra and other similar drugs treat erectile dysfunction, when a man can’t get or keep an erection that’s firm enough to have sex. These men often still have sexual desire, but they just can’t get their bodies to respond physically when they want to have sex. The drugs help by relaxing the muscles in the penis and boosting blood flow so an erection can happen.

In women, low libido is a more complex problem.

“I often say you can picture men’s sexual desire as a light switch, and women’s sexual desire as the cockpit of a 747,” she says. “There are more factors at play in female sexual desire.”

As a result, the treatment for HSDD requires a more nuanced approach.

Two Medicines

The drugs the FDA has approved for HSDD are:

Flibanserin (Addyi): It’s a pill you take every evening.
Bremelanotide (Vyleesi): It’s a shot you give yourself in the belly or thigh 45 minutes before you have sex. You take one in a 24-hour period, and doctors recommend only eight shots per month.

How they work. Both drugs boost the activity of chemical messengers in your brain, called neurotransmitters, that are key to helping you feel aroused. You take flibanserin every day, whether you plan to have sex or not. You inject bremelanotide only when you need it. It’s important to note that neither drug makes sex better. They just make you more likely to feel in the mood.

Your doctor may recommend that you try sex education and counseling along with the medication. You may also need hormone therapy, if you deal with any physical issues that affect sex, such as vaginal dryness.

How do I get them? Your doctor needs to diagnose you with HSDD in order to prescribe either drug. They can do that by asking screening questions, such as:

• Have you been satisfied with your level of sexual desire before?
• Has your sex drive gotten lower?
• Does your lack of libido bother you?
• Would you like it to increase?
• Are there other things (medication, pregnancy, surgery, stress) that could be affecting your sex drive?

If you answer “yes” to the first four questions, and there’s no other cause for your low sex drive, you probably have HSDD.

Volkar says the distress that a woman feels about her sex drive is often the driving factor in whether or not she needs to take medicine for it. “Because if you aren’t bothered by it, it’s not a problem,” she says.

Also, your doctor will want “to make sure it’s not related to your present situation or relationship. Because you can’t fix HSDD if the problem is you really don’t like your partner,” she says.

What’s the cost? Some insurance companies will cover HSDD medications. Your cost will vary based on your plan, but out-of-pocket cost for flibanserin is about $100 for 30 pills (1 month’s supply).

Which one is right for me? Both drugs have different concerns and risks. The one you should take mostly depends on what works best for your lifestyle. “There are certainly women who have no interest in injections,” Volkar says. “Others have no interest in taking a pill every day.” It’s best to talk to your doctor about which one would work for you.

Side Effects and Risks

Researchers have mainly studied how the medicines work in women who haven’t gone through menopause yet. So the FDA approved both drugs for premenopausal women only. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should not use either drug.

There are others who shouldn’t take the medications, including those who:

“They can also interact with several drugs women commonly take, like fluconazole (Diflucan), which is a yeast infection medication, and also some antibiotics,” Volkar says. “So it’s good to be aware of what medications you’re on and discuss those with your doctor.”

Women who use HSDD medications shouldn’t drink alcohol from 2 hours before they take the drug until the following morning, because it can lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.

The drugs can cause side effects, such as:

Bremelanotide can cause your skin and gums to get darker.

Do They Work?

To measure how well these drugs treat HSDD, doctors look at whether sexual desire has gone up and if distress about it has gone down. Volkar says flibanserin typically leads to “one more sexually significant event per month.” That may sound like a success to some and not to others.

“It depends on how you define things,” she says. “Is that awesome, or is that not so great? When I’m counseling a patient, I kind of leave that to their discretion and let them decide what that means for them.”

There is no “normal” amount of sex or desire. So a change in the distress a woman feels about her sex drive is often a key sign of how well the treatment is working.

If you try the medicine for 8 weeks and you haven’t felt a change, your doctor may recommend you stop taking it.

The bottom line, Volkar says, is that though these treatments may not be perfect yet, having two medications available on the market is a move in the right direction.

“I think it’s great that we’re finally doing research into medications for women and sexual desire,” she says. “I don’t think it’s quite the answer yet, but it’s an important first step.”

Show Sources

Judith Volkar, MD, doctor, Midlife Health Center; quality director, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, Pittsburgh.

Mayo Clinic: “Erectile Dysfunction,” “Low Sex Drive in Women.”

Medscape: “FDA Approves New Libido-Boosting Drug for Premenopausal Women,” “FDA Modifies Alcohol Warning for Addyi, So-Called ‘Female Viagra.’ ”

Pharmacy and Therapeutics: “Flibanserin (Addyi).”

National Women’s Health Network: “How can I get an Addyi prescription if my insurance does not cover it?”

Sexual Medicine: “Evaluation and Management of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder.”

Urology Care Foundation: “What is Erectile Dysfunction?”

Tadalafil 5 mg daily treatment for type 1 diabetic premenopausal women affected by sexual genital arousal disorder

Introduction: Type 1 diabetic women may be affected by sexual dysfunction, mainly due to peripheral vascular disease.

Aim: To determine whether daily tadalafil 5 mg is effective in type 1 premenopausal women affected by sexual genital arousal disorder.

Method: Thirty-three volunteers were enrolled in a 12-week daily tadalafil 5 mg prospective study.

Main outcome measures: The efficacy of daily tadalafil 5 mg on sexual genital arousal (primary end point), and desire, orgasm, enjoyment and frequency of sexual activity, and genital pain (secondary end points) were assessed (i) subjectively by the Short Personal Experiences Questionnaire; and (ii) objectively by translabial color Doppler sonography of clitoral blood flow. Moreover, the Short Form-36 questionnaire was used to assess Quality of Life (QoL).

Conclusions: Daily tadalafil 5 mg treatment seems to improve subjective sexual aspects and could be used to treat genital arousal disorder of premenopausal women with type 1 diabetes. The limits of the study were the small sample and the lack of a placebo control group.

Cited by

Harsh V, Clayton AH. Harsh V, et al. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2018 Mar 14;20(3):18. doi: 10.1007/s11920-018-0883-1. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2018. PMID: 29541946 Review.

Li F, Du BW, Lu DF, Wu WX, Wongkrajang K, Wang L, Pu WC, Liu CL, Liu HW, Wang MK, Wang F. Li F, et al. Sci Rep. 2017 Aug 10;7(1):7760. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-08203-7. Sci Rep. 2017. PMID: 28798396 Free PMC article.

Goldstein SW, Gonzalez JR, Gagnon C, Goldstein I. Goldstein SW, et al. Sex Med. 2016 Sep;4(3):e166-75. doi: 10.1016/j.esxm.2016.03.026. Epub 2016 Apr 15. Sex Med. 2016. PMID: 27090169 Free PMC article.

Lo Monte G, Graziano A, Piva I, Marci R. Lo Monte G, et al. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2014 Nov 7;8:2251-4. doi: 10.2147/DDDT.S71227. eCollection 2014. Drug Des Devel Ther. 2014. PMID: 25422584 Free PMC article.

Female Cialis – Tadalafil For Women

With the popularity of Viagra for women, many ask the question: what happens when a female takes Cialis? Let us find the answer together.

Tadalafil, the active component in Cialis For Women (Female Cialis), is a powerful stimulator of blood circulation, with the focus on the genital blood flow. Originally designed to treat potency problems in men, this substance has a proven efficacy in women with female sexual dysfunction. So what happens if a female takes Cialis is a powerful increase in sexual response.

When answering the question what would Cialis do to a female it is important to remember that tadalafil can be used as a regulator for blood pressure, too, in patients of both genders.

Cialis for erectile effects continues to be the A-line defense against impotence, but the study called “Tadalafil Reversal of Sexual Dysfunction Caused by Serotonin Enhancing Medications in Women” has made it possible for the female population to benefit from its use.

Cialis for women – dosage

Female Cialis contains tadalafil 20 mg, which is the maximal recommended dose of the drug. Take the pill 30 to 60 minutes before the sexual intercourse to experience the maximal benefits from the drug – look them up in the following paragraphs. The effects of Female Cialis last for 36 hours following the onset.

What does female Cialis do?

What does Female Cialis do for the woman suffering from various libido disorders?

Administered before sexual activity, Cialis for women will help you achieve the following health outcomes:

improve the quality of sex life for 36 hours
create healthy anticipation of intimacy
eliminate unpleasant sensations linked to vaginal dryness
promote clitoral erection
increase sensitivity and pleasure during stimulation
give a significant boost to the libido
make orgasms powerful and easily achievable

Cialis for men vs Cialis For Women – what is the difference

What is the difference between male and Female Cialis? Both Cialis and Female Cialis contain tadalafil, but in different doses. Cialis For Women contains tadalafil 20 mg, while the classical drug for men is available in doses ranging between 2.5 and 20 mg. Some forms of Cialis for men are prescribed to be taken daily, for a steady reversal of erectile function, or for BPH therapy. Cialis for men does not address sexual arousal disorder, it is only used for eliminating the symptoms of ED (erectile dysfunction). Thu, what happens if female takes Cialis is slightly different from the effects that occur in male patients.

The common property of both pills is that it restores healthy blood circulation in the genitals, and this effect can accumulate over time. In other words, you will benefit from a prolonged use of tadalafil whether you are a man or a woman. Cialis for female sexual arousal and the classical Cialis for men can be ordered online as part of Cialis Trial Pack for couples, its price being more economical than two pills purchased separately

Sexual side effects of Cialis for women do not occur, but men can experience prolonged or painful erections that require immediate medical attention (those happen in less than 1% of users).

Side effects and adverse reactions

The common side effects of tadalafil include facial flushing, muscle pain, nausea, stomach upset, stuffy or runny nose, and headache. Cialis side effects never last too long. In healthy individuals, mild side effects or no side effects usually occur. If you experience extended adverse reactions, talk to your doctor about dose reduction. Taking Female Cialis alongside with food also helps to reduce the side effects.

Important Female Cialis note to observe is that you cannot use it in the presence of kidney, liver, heart, stomach, or blood cell diseases, as well as low blood pressure and NAION or retinitis pigmentosa.

Female Cialis is a long-acting oral drug that instantly improves the quality of sexual experience in women. It is a safe and time-tested drug without the major side effects like those caused by antidepressants used for the same purpose of libido boost.

Questions to Benefits of Taking Female Cialis

Brigette says:

Hello! I have tried using Female Cialis on this one occasion and I was very satisfied with the results. I got a bit of nasal congestion and muscle ache, but the side effects can be put up with seeing the amazing sensitivity in my whole body and a crazy desire to have sex with my boyfriend. My question is this: I am a 47yo female with no major health problems. Given that Female Cialis stays in my body for 36 hours, do I have to take it every day if I engage in sexual activity the next day? Or is it enough to take a pill of tadalafil for women in the morning of the second day following the initial intake? I appreciate your advice!

Evelyn Green says:

Thank you for your question! According to manufacturer, it is safe to administer Female Cialis once every 24 hours; in fact, the medication is fully excreted from your system after 36 hours, following its half-life of 17.5 – 18 hours pattern. In this connection, it makes sense to time your intake of tadalafil wisely: for instance, if you take a pill in the evening as needed, approximately 1 hour before planned sexual activity, you will experience the benefits of increased sexual desire for 1,5 days. If you do not plan to have sex in the morning of that day, you can time your next Cialis intake an hour before your next intimacy. This posology method will be less taxing on your body, while the efficacy will still be optimal.

A Guide to ‘Female Viagra’

Investigating women’s preference for sildenafil or tadalafil use by their partners with erectile dysfunction: the partners’ preference study

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A Guide to ‘Female Viagra’

Two Medicines

Side Effects and Risks

Do They Work?

Show Sources

Tadalafil 5 mg daily treatment for type 1 diabetic premenopausal women affected by sexual genital arousal disorder

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Female Cialis – Tadalafil For Women

Cialis for women – dosage

What does female Cialis do?

Cialis for men vs Cialis For Women – what is the difference

Side effects and adverse reactions

Questions to Benefits of Taking Female Cialis

Brigette says:

Evelyn Green says:

Karin O. says: