Sex Pill Surprise: Women Treated With Placebo Reported Improvement

Sept. 16, 2010— -- Men have had their little blue pills for years, but some women in search of the same kind of libido boost may simply need to talk about their problems in the bedrooms.

Researchers studying drug treatments for 200 women with sexual dysfunctions say they were surprised to find that 35 percent of the women who were given a placebo -- a sugar pill -- reported significant improvement in their sex lives.

Now, some experts say, the solution may be found in a conversation with a doctor.

"All women in this study did have a chance to speak to a health care professional who listened to their concerns," said Dr. Andrea Bradford of the Baylor College of Medicine, Michael E. Debakey V.A. Medical Center in Houston, "and, most importantly, took them seriously and really listened to what their concerns were."

Bradford was one of the lead researchers on the study, conducted at Baylor College of Medicine.

Medical surveys show that low sex drive affects nearly 40 percent of women in the United States.

"In the quest to find a medical solution or a magic bullet for women's sexual problems, we may have overlooked some of the basics," Bradford said.

But even getting to those basics isn't easy for women and physicians alike.

"If they don't ask, women won't volunteer or tell," "Good Morning America" medical contributor Dr. Marie Savard said, adding that studies have shown even gynecologists are hesitant to bring up low sex drive with their patients.

"I think it's embarrassing for physicians," she said. "And it takes time."

With men, Savard said, most of their sexual dysfunction can be traced to a physiological problem, which is why Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs have worked so well for so many.

"Women, I think, are so much complicated than men," she said. "It'll never be a one size fits all for women."