Current and future pharmacotherapy for female sexual dysfunction

Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is common and affects women of all ages. Between 30% and 50% of sexually active women will encounter some type of FSD at some point in their life, highlighting its importance as a public health issue. FSD goes undiagnosed and untreated in many women owing to the stigma associated with sexual health, insufficient awareness and restricted access to specialized medical care. Over the past few decades, considerable progress in understanding FSD has resulted in the development of pharmacological therapies; the treatment of FSD should be evaluated through a biopsychosocial approach to determine whether to use medication, therapy or a mix of both methods. A number of non-hormonal pharmacological treatments for FSD are available, specifically to treat hypoactive sexual desire disorder, female sexual arousal disorder, female orgasmic disorder and female genitopelvic pain disorders. Further work towards the development of future therapies will help to better support women with FSD.