"Restless Vagina Syndrome": Big Pharma's Newest Fake Disease

[Better Believe It]

"Restless Vagina Syndrome": Big Pharma's Newest Fake Disease

The pharmaceutical industry wants you to think that if you don't have sex like a porn star, you're in need of their drugs.
By Terry J. Allen, In These Times
November 3, 2009


It’s not your fault, ladies (and certainly not your partner’s), that you don’t orgasm every time you have intercourse, or that you lack the libido of a 17-year-old boy. You have a disease: female sexual dysfunction (FSD), and the pharmaceutical industry wants to help.

You are among the "43 percent of American women experience some degree of impaired sexual function," according to a Journal of the American Medical Association article. The FDA’s evolving definition of FSD includes decreased desire or arousal, sexual pain and orgasm difficulties -- but only if the woman feels "personal distress" about it.

So, convincing women to feel distress is a key component of the drug company strategy to market a multi-billion-dollar pill that will cure billions of women of what may not ail them.

By promoting the belief that "normal" women have explosive sex all the time, BigPharma helped launch the disease. However, the FDA has yet to approve a treatment for women who fall short. Until then, they could try the Orgasmatron: a dial-a-delight spinal implant that rarely works -- and risks infection and paralysis. Or, for $60/month, pop LexaFem pills -- containing (how-could-it-not-work) "horny goat weed extract" in order to "feel like a real woman today." Its website promises, "You won’t ever feel unhappy again with LexaFem in your arsenal."

But the big swinging dicks of global FSD marketing (and off-label marketing) are Pfizer -- whose stop-gap strategy is selling women Viagra based on the fact that it works for men, and Procter & Gamble (P&G), which, using the same logic, has put its money on testosterone.

"Maybe the best approach is not ineffective, over-hyped drugs with nasty side effects, but an end to disease mongering and a strong dose of comprehensive sex education," says filmmaker Liz Canner. Her film hits female erogenous zones that pharmaceutical fixes can’t find: your brain and your funny bone. 

Read the complete article at:

http://www.alternet.org/sex/143682/%22restless_vagina_s...

Filmmaker Liz Canner has a new documentary film Orgasm, Inc. www.orgasminc.org

"Extraordinary behind-the-scenes access reveals a drug company's fevered race to develop the first FDA-approved Viagra for women – and offers a humorous but sobering look inside the cash-fueled pharmaceutical industry."
– Hot Docs Film Festival

In the shocking and hilarious documentary ORGASM INC., filmmaker Liz Canner takes a job editing erotic videos for a drug trial for a pharmaceutical company. Her employer is developing what they hope will be the first Viagra drug for women that wins FDA approval to treat a new disease: Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD). Liz gains permission to film the company for her own documentary. Initially, she plans to create a movie about science and pleasure but she soon begins to suspect that her employer, along with a cadre of other medical companies, might be trying to take advantage of women (and potentially endanger their health) in pursuit of billion dollar profits. ORGASM INC. is a powerful look inside the medical industry and the marketing campaigns that are literally and figuratively reshaping our everyday lives around health, illness, desire — and that ultimate moment: orgasm.

Upbeat, engaging, enlightening, and provocative,
ORGASM INC. will change the way you think about sex.

[Barack_America]

1. So, DO take drugs to make you horny, but DO NOT masturbate.

Gotcha.

[dana_b]

2. oh jeebus..

more $$, more $$..

next month it will be lisltless earlobe syndrome or some such shit.

[Sal Minella]

5. But I always orgasm when my earlobes do that, so

Big Pharma just better leave my earlobes alone . . .

[dana_b]

13. LOL

no, you just don't KNOW that you have a probem with your earlobes yet! Leave it to big pharma - they'll tell you all about it!

[Sal Minella]

17. Ha! You are right, of course! I must need at least TWO kinds of

expensive pills!

(I'm sure the anti-orgasm pill will be EXCEEDINGLY expensive.)

[krispos42]

48. Well it takes a lot of technology to put Cheney's face on a little pill

[Fuzz]

15. That would be for Ferengi

[Lars39]

37. oomox!

[Warpy]

3. That's really the holy grail for male researchers,

even more so than their limp dick drugs were. They've always wanted some aphrodisiac for women that makes mediocre males impossible to turn down.

Something tells me this is not going to be much of a blockbuster drug among women but it will be popular among the date rape set.

[bridgit]

4. Pft, these fuckers, "Restless Vagina" sounds like something you could pack up and take on the road

[Sal Minella]

6. Or something that would go on the road and drag you along. n/t

[Greyhound]

10. Maybe a line of really cute luggage that follows you through the airport? n/t

[gkhouston]

11. Rhumba coochie? n/t

[Hosnon]

39. Best sub-thread I've seen in a long time. nt.

[notadmblnd]

55. you might have something there...

my sister tells me that I couldn't get laid if I carried around a mattress and a box of condoms.

[bamacrat]

7. Thats hillarious.

Is this like the female hysteria back in the 1800s where women had to go to the doctor and they would get them off to calm them down. Hahahahah.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

19. Link?

Pics or it didn't happen. lol.

[Sal Minella]

22. Years ago, I read about doctors treating nervous female patients

by prescribing a cream or ointment with instructions to rub it into the private area thoroughly for several minutes.

[bamacrat]

84. Google it, crazy that their husbands didnt realize or didnt understand back in those days.

But most of the pictures are from that era so its bush territory. hahahahahah get it bush hahahhahah. sorry that was dumb.

[PCIntern]

75. Try into the 1960's...

ads for vibration therapy for docs to use on their female patients were prevalent.

Even in the movies, the scenes at the spas would have breathless lines like, "Doctor, just WHEN will I get my next 'treatment'??"

[tblue]

8. My first thought was: This must be new slang for Sarah Palin.

Really!

[Stevenmarc]

9. The Pfizer Theater Presents... The Restless Vagina Monologues

[Sal Minella]

20. Just. Too. Funny. n/t

[damntexdem]

Now that speaks for itself!

Talk about being on the pill!

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

12. Our society is turning into sort of a

reverse "Welcome to the Monkey House" What with this and Viagra.....

[TlalocW]

14. This is why

I don't read magazines like Men's Health (they're pretty much the same thing as women's magazines that make women feel bad about themselves). As much as I would like to be 37 with the libido of a 14-year-old who mountainbikes 4 hours a day, can out-expert a wine steward on spirits, and constantly has an up-to-date wardrobe for any event, I'm pretty happy the way I am.

Same thing for all these pills that are supposed to "cure" things that are "wrong" with people and have side-effects worse than the "affliction." I thought restless leg syndrome was ridiculous when they came out with a pill for that. We truly need to make health care a non-profit entity so they'll stop finding things wrong with us and get back to serious medicine.

(Caution: Reading my posts may result in one or more of the following: rickets, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, tennis elbow, tennis knee, quick trigger finger, Count Choculitis, excessive phlegm in the nasal cavity, hot dog fingers, bleeding from every body orifice, Rock n' Roll Fever, Boogie Woogie Flu, Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome, leprosy, inability to distinguish Coke from Pepsi, Herpes Simplex, Herpes Not So Simplex, and drastic mood swings after ingesting McDonalds Happy Meals)

TlalocW

[louis-t]

18. It's also winter, which means......

24/7 mucus commercials.

[DearAbby]

16. Trust me...there is nothing restless

in that part of my anatomy...It coughs up dust, I walk in a perpetual dust cloud.



for those who would really believe that ^^^^^

[Nikki Stone1]

21. Restless vagina? Sounds like it's time for some battery operated devices.

Maybe my insurance will cover them

[Better Believe It]

23. Perhaps is should be called "Sleeping Vagina Syndrome" which only needs some strong medicine to ....

wake it up!

Don't really know much about naughty body parts, just sayin ....

[damntexdem]

33. As I say, someone just needs to kiss it and make it better.

[TwilightGardener]

24. Not to be confused with "Wandering Vagina", which is a much more complicated problem.

[Beetwasher]

29. The Male Equivalent Is "Detachable Penis" Syndrome

Now where did I put that thing?

[Skittles]

91. Beetwasher, searching for his woody again

I CAN'T TAKE IT I TELL YOU

[cally]

25. Well, 43 percent of women have a problem

and over 60 percent of women in Malaysia. Hmm, maybe they are just NORMAL and the problem is the definition of how women should feel and act.

[lukasahero]

36. That's sort of what I was thinking

If half of a population experiences something a certain way, doesn't that kind of make it, I don't know, normal?

[EndersDame]

40. More like their partners have a problem with knowing how to make sex pleasurable for a woman

Seriously I just don't get it why cant guys spend more than ten minutes or pay attention to the clitoris . Most of the guys I have been with don't even know about foreplay !

[Beacool]

46. Hear, hear!!!

If they learned the basics of anatomy and had a gentle touch, maybe women would go back for seconds. Hint to the guys, it's a delicate little knob full of nerve endings. A soft touch and a little patience will go a long way. Don't yank at it like it's a taffy pull.

Oh, and to those men who expect to receive oral sex but are reluctant to give it, you better reciprocate unless you want teeth marks on your best buddy next time she gets near it.

[EndersDame]

65. I am so jealous that all my lesbian friends have partners who know what they are doing

[Beacool]

97. Good point, never thought of that.

But it makes sense, a woman would know how another woman feels.

[StevieM]

71. I don't understand some of my fellow males' attitudes

First of all, I still haven't figured out why some guys would rather receive oral then have straight-up intercourse. And second, I don't know why some guys don't like giving oral. Hearing and seeing the woman's reaction always feeds my fragile ego....I would think it would be the same for a lot of guys.

Steve

[comtec]

92. There is nothing more sweet than the ''music'' of a satisfied women

NOTHING!

I can safely say I know what a happy ending is supposed to sound and feel like =]

I even know where tab B is supposed to go in slot A
now THAT is some really sweet music =]

[Beacool]

100. Hi, Stevie!!!!

I don't understand guys either, of course not all, there are men who are just wonderful and caring. I think that some are ignorant about what it takes to make a woman tick and some are just selfish and simply don't care.

More guys need to understand that the majority of women can only orgasm if there's direct contact with the clitoris. Some positions don't allow as much direct contact as some others. For example, there's less contact in the missionary position that when the woman is on top.

Now, to be fair to the guys, women need to be more open and communicate their needs to their partners. Many women are too shy or don't want to embarrass their man by telling them what feels good.

The path to good sex is not between the legs but between the head: communication is key to good sex and a good over all relationship.

[Missy Vixen]

50. +a number higher than I can count to

Getting there is half the fun. If some guys figured this out, they'd have no problem attracting and keeping an enthusiastic partner.

Plus, there are -- ahem -- toys that can enhance the experience. The guys that invented the Rabbit Habit, for instance, should get the Nobel Peace Prize.

[MattBaggins]

66. Or is the problem

us beer bellied, swamp ass, couch potato husbands who forgot what fore play was two days after the wedding?

[MilesColtrane]

26. And yet still no cure for my case of Vagina on the Brain.

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[benld74]

28. May cause eye fatigue, tongue wagging, inablility to keep legs closed,,,

[damntexdem]

30. Well, it does sound more interesting than restless leg syndrome.

Can't someone just kiss it and make it better?

[One_Life_To_Give]

31. After all the B&M about Viagra, ED and not treating women equally

We learn that the like of Dr's Berman (sisters) are presumably the tools of big pharma. And that must also mean that all of their prvious FSD patients are really just oversexed nymphos or something like that. I am so glad that a pornagraphic filmaker can set us all straight as to what a typical woman should and should not want. I am sure this will make it so much easier for real women to discuse real issues with their doctors, NOT.

[Subdivisions]

32. Just say yes to drugs...

As long as they're Big Pharma drugs.

[EndersDame]

34. Maybe they could invent a pill that turned our Clit's Neon so guys would pay attention to it

and we could orgasm

[Better Believe It]

35. And it would be easier to find for the hard of seeing!

[rug]

38. You'd have to be careful. Sometimes the letters burn out.

[EndersDame]

86. Oh Noes!!!

[Ignis]

79. ...

[WinkyDink]

90. This post is offensive to me.....

It has an unnecessary apostrophe.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

101. Heaven forbid you should actually tell your partner what you want. LOL.

[RedCloud]

41. Try Family Business's come here two fingered approach

Maybe this is too advanced but 5 "O"s in 3 minutes.

[formercia]

42. My ex had RVS

When she filed papers, she was trying to decide which one of her 'admitted' 4 boyfriends she planned to marry.

[gkhouston]

44. Four simultaneous boyfriends? Sounds like a bad case of Recreational Vehicle Snatch. n/t

[Beacool]

43. Next time I don't feel like having sex I will tell him that my vagina is restless.

Sounds more imaginative than the usual "I got a headache" excuse. LOL!!!

Did it ever occur to these researches that if more men were better at sex and did not suck so much (and I don't mean in the good way), maybe women would not find so many reasons why they would rather not go to bed with them?

[gkhouston]

45. Yeah, honey, it's done packed itself up and headed out to Vegas to do some gambling.

It's really good at playing stud poker.

[Beacool]

47. Good one!!!

[krispos42]

49. Oh, I thought this was a fidelity pill

Something my ex could have used about 5 years ago...

[Malikshah]

51. So what will be the song for the Ad campaign?

Possibility No. 1--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sivlOgkbx9k

Possibility No. 2 -- the Names will have be changed for the non-LGBT market.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8kJfokP_VU&feature=Play...

[Lance_Boyle]

52. Hyperbole and joking aside, there are women for whom blood flow to the genital region

is a problem that does significantly impact sexual health (primarily lubricity). I would not write this research off as pocket lining behavior.

If it improves sex and makes people happier, what's the problem? I'd pose the same question to those who bitch and moan about the availability of ED treatments. Quality of life, and yes, even quality of SEX, is important. If you're not the patient or the patient's sex partner, then exactly what concern is it of yours, PRUDEnce McPrudenpants?

[gkhouston]

57. I don't see people being prudes. I see people realizing that a lot of the "need"

will be manufactured for corporate gain, and these drugs have side effects. For women who truly have sexual health issues that can't be resolved otherwise, the benefits outweigh the risks. The market for these drugs is probably nowhere near as large as manufacturers would have women believe, though.

[Lance_Boyle]

59. I dunno - lack of lubricity is a very common problem in post-menopausal women.

Just like flappywang syndrome is a common problem in men of a certain age.

[gkhouston]

62. Yes, but I was under the impression that lubricants and topical estrogen can also

help with that and both are far less expensive.

[Lance_Boyle]

63. same with cock-rings and penis pumps

they *can* provide *some* benefit. But having a medicine that addresses the real problem is better, IMO.

[gkhouston]

68. If it works for you and your wallet and body can tolerate it. I'm always torn between

amusement and befuddlement when I hear the stuff at the end of drug commercials on television where they talk about "some of the possible" side effects really, really quickly. Far too often, the cures seem nearly as bad as the affliction.

[AzDar]

98. Heh.

"Lubricity" and "flappywang".

[otohara]

102. Excruciating Pain Also

Unless you take cancer causing hormones in order to have pain free sex.

[JDPriestly]

107. Maybe those women just need to exercise? Like walking, running, swimming.

Solves a lot of problems.

[csziggy]

53. Maybe most women are just too tired for sex?

With all their responsibilities and worries.

[KamaAina]

54. Here comes the acid test

will insurance cover this, like it does the Big V?

[lightningandsnow]

56. Honestly? Some people don't enjoy not being able to orgasm.

Anorgasmia isn't fun for a lot of people who have it. If there's a drug that can help someone with that, who is distressed by it, why not?

[kitkat65]

58. Oh for goodness sake! One word . . . Foreplay.

And the only cure for the asshole who doesn't care about enough about your sexual satisfaction is to dump him.

[otohara]

104. Not That Simple

especially for post-menopausal women.

all the foreplay in the world will not make the excruciating pain that comes with sex, a few years after the estrogen stops. the ONLY help for the pain is to take Hormone Replacement Therapy, which is super expensive and causes breast cancer. I don't know if all women experience this, but my guess is many do and it's not discussed.

[Mari333]

60. Good Lord, it makes a woman sound like a snapping turtle!

I cannot wait to bring this subject up at the next breakfast on sunday with my lady friends. They will spew their coffee. for sure.

[Taverner]

61. There has been demand for a "Female Viagra" for some time

This looks like it might be it

No need to bash it - but I've known several women over my life who could never orgasm, and always wanted to

[MissMillie]

64. one woman's "problem" is another woman's "blessing"

I have no doubt that there are women who suffer from FSD.

I also have no doubt that in many instances this is more of a problem for their male partners than it is for the women inflicted with the disorder.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

81. After all what real woman would want to enjoy sex. The idiocy is overwhelming at times.

[retread]

67. If such a drug is developed, will it be legal in Alabama, when vibrators are not? n/t

[Better Believe It]

69. Are rubbers legal in Alabama?

[fascisthunter]

70. I thought this was an Onion piece

when I read the title.... just wow!

[alphafemale]

72. Maybe they just need to change partners

My ex husband seemed to do everything he could to make me feel unattractive, even though he was about 14 years older than me, 100 lbs heavier than me and had a er...problem in the area.

He was a 2 pump "you know what" at best and I was quite repulsed at the very idea of sex for many years with him.

I was repulsed with myself.

Well, I am now with a guy 12 years younger who thinks and speaks and treats me as if I am Heaven's Gravy and the sex is astounding.

And I can't get enough of it.

[walldude]

73. LOL.. that was my thought...

If you aren't having orgasms then find a lover who is more responsive to your needs.

[Missy Vixen]

78. You GO, girl

>And I can't get enough of it<

I hope you will be having many, many more years of enjoyment with your guy!

[Skittles]

93. AWESOME!

you go, gal!

[alittlelark]

74. I doubt insurance will cover it.

.... and perhaps having an interested lover ie: one that cares about YOUR pleasure. Could be cheaper and easier.

[mikeSchmuckabee]

76. How can they possibly ignore my restless penis?

Hopefully vaginas can get some rest. I apologize for keeping vaginas so busy. LOL

[Better Believe It]

77. It's so little so it's hard to detect any restlessness?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

80. What dumbass wrote this article? "Sexual Dysfunction a new disease" Idiot.

[Cleita]

82. Wow and back in my day if you wanted sex you were called a

nymphomaniac. It actually was a medical term that referred to women with a libido. Now apparently, we aren't nymphomaniac enough for the industry.

*fanning myself*

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

83. This is why we need Female Genital Mutilation, just like God intended.

Like all decent people, the thought of women not only enjoying sex, but trying to improve sex sickens and disgusts me.

[Eryemil]

85. If I had so much problem achieving orgasm I'd probably want a pill for it too. Biology can be cruel.

I don't see the problem with this. It might not be dysfunctional but it definitely but it's certainly not ideal in my opinion.
It also makes me happy that I am not a woman, not offense to you ladies, or that I don't have to rely on females for sex.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

87. Testosterone works.

Testosterone is the hormone that causes sexual desire, in both sexes. Just that women produce a lot less than men. It can also lead to increased energy and desire to accomplish things other than sex, BTW.

Unfortunately, the FDA is so afraid of aggressive, hairy, domineering, horny women that they will not approve any form of testosterone for females. Ya have to get it from a compounding pharmacy.

Men and women both have a loss of testosterone as they age.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

88. Testosterone is great. . . if you love chin hair.

I have to say I'm a little disappointed. I thought they had figured out a way to make my vibrator (and batteries!) a medical necessity and thus, tax deductible. This is discrimination against those of us who are penis-deprived, I tell ya!

[SpiralHawk]

94. ...and testosterone suppresses oxytocin. That's a big deal

because oxytocin is the 'cuddle hormone' -- which is to say when testosterone is upped, and oxycontin is downed, the ingestor is in for some major hormonal shifts with consequent personality and behavioral changes.

[Mimosa]

89. People's libidos naturally decline with age.

Whether some like it or not it's part of the aging process to become less interested in sex after menopause. People can pretend otherwise and the pharmaceutical hucksters will lie to people. There was once a time when people largely felt relieved to be freed from the immense sexual urges of youth.

[Better Believe It]

96. Is it true that viagra can give you a stiff neck?

[treestar]

109. I was thinking it would be cool not to worry about getting pregnant!

LOL.

[comtec]

95. If this can 'speed up' the process whose to complain?

There are women who simply have trouble getting off, even when all the conditions are right.

my wife has this problem occasionally. (yes yes insert cruel jokes here)
But she simply could NOT get off sometimes...after um... a substantial amount of time of "working" at it.

Some times she just cant go over the edge even thought sh;ll be for for quite some time.

This could help her a great deal.

[lunatica]

99. It makes your heels really round so you fall on your back easily

All it takes is a slight nudge and you're ready.

[Kalyke]

103. I always thought the cure for this was great oral sex.

Take a pill or entertain and be entertained by my hubby....


Hmmm....


I think I'll take the hubby.

[JDPriestly]

105. Only a man could have thought this up.

I can just see all the busy wives with jobs and kids and houses to clean worrying about whether they are having enough orgasms. The market for this drug -- if the whole thing isn't a joke to begin with -- is not going to be very large. This is just not something that will shall we say excite women at all.

Give us a nonaddictive, harmless potion that gives us enough energy to get the kids up, fed breakfast, to school (on time), to cook dinner and rinse the dishes, to help the kids with homework, do housework, laundry, etc. and just have a nice conversation with our husbands after our kids are in bed . . . . Orgasms, last thing on a busy woman's mind.

Seriously, trust and lots of conversation (with the TV off) is the best aphrodisiac for a lot of women. So, men, if your wife is cool to you, try listening to her and taking her conversation seriously. Listen to a woman and you will be surprised at the result. What is more, you might actually discover that you have important things to say to each other. I give this advice as an old lady in a long marriage.

[Kalyke]

108. Also, men should try shouldering some (or a bit more) of the

household duties.

If women didn't have to get the kids up, feed them breakfast, get them to school on time, work 8 to 10 hours a day at a job to pay bills, cook dinner, check homework, wash dirty dishes/laundry, feed the dogs and Lord-knows-what-all else by HERSELF, then she may have time for a bit of nookie.

Conversation and shared responsibilities/duties will make Jane a more receptive lover.

[treestar]

106. Not to be defending big pharma, but what if it works?

If it does not, people won't take it. If it does? Expect women to take it as much as men will take Viagra. I mean, come on. This drug will go places if it works. How are you to convince a woman for whom it works not to take it just to piss off big pharma?