"Female Viagra" reveals sexual problems in Egypt

"As soon as I took the tablet, I felt dizzy, my heartbeat raced, and I fell asleep." So said Laila (a pseudonym), an Egyptian wife in her thirties. She was talking to me about a drug that has recently become circulating in the Egyptian market under the name "Female Viagra".

She asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. She says that she bought the new medicine with her husband's knowledge and without consulting a doctor. "The pharmacist told me to take one tablet daily for a few weeks, denying any side effects."

The Egyptian Ministry of Health approved, for the first time, a drug to treat weak sexual desire in women. This drug, whose scientific name is flibanserin, originated in the United States, as it was introduced to the American market more than three years ago. A few weeks ago, it became available in Egypt after a private Egyptian company began manufacturing and distributing it.

Laila, who has been married for about ten years, says that she does not suffer from any apathy in her sexual relationship with her husband, but she bought the drug "out of curiosity. I took one tablet and I will not repeat it." She confirms that she does not suffer from any organic diseases and does not take any drugs.

"Revolutionary drug"

"This is a revolutionary drug in the treatment of low sexual desire in women," says Ashraf El-Maraghi, director of the specialized drug unit of the manufacturer. "Research has shown that about 3 out of 10 women in Egypt suffer from frigidity."

However, these remain estimated figures, as accurate statistics on such matters are scarce. In a country that is predominantly conservative, religiously and socially, talking about sex is considered taboo. The sexual culture in Egypt is almost absent.

Laila, a middle-class housewife, says, "A woman does not have the right to express her sexual problems or needs. If any woman complains to her mother, for example, about her bad sexual relationship with her husband, the mother will rebuke her because it is inappropriate for her to reveal the secrets of her home. And the mother will carry her Responsibility for any failure in the relationship, that's how we were raised."

Side Effects

Al-Maraghi stresses the need for the drug to be dispensed under the supervision of a physician. He says, "Women should take a tablet daily, and you will get the best result after about two months."

He also confirms the efficiency and effectiveness of the drug, adding that its use does not carry any disturbing side effects. "It only causes a feeling of dizziness or drowsiness. Experiences showed that only two percent of those who used it showed these symptoms, and these effects gradually faded away."

However, many disagree with this opinion. "Usually we do not sell this drug without a prescription because of its side effects," says Murad Sadiq, director of a pharmacy in a popular neighborhood in Cairo. And his pharmacist colleague, Ihab Turki, confirms that "the drug causes a severe drop in blood pressure. It may interfere with other medications such as anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, heart, liver and pressure medications."

The pharmaceutical market in Egypt suffers from a kind of chaos, as it is easy to obtain many drugs, including antibiotics, without any prescriptions.

"Men are the ones who ask for the drug"

"We explain to our clients all the side effects of filipinoserin, but this does not discourage them from pressing for it," says Murad Sadeq.

And he added, "Most of those who ask about the drug are men, as women are ashamed to buy such drugs. About ten people visit us every day asking for female Viagra. About seventy percent of them are men."

"Women's Viagra...a deceptive name"

When we entered Murad's pharmacy, we found a banner ad written on it "the rose pill" to promote the new drug, similar to the "blue pill" that is used to refer to Viagra.

According to doctors and pharmacists we spoke to, naming this drug “female Viagra” came for a commercial motive, without any scientific basis. Dr. Heba Kotb, a marital relations counselor, says that this is a "deceptive label," explaining that "Viagra pumps blood to the genitals, while flibanserin works primarily on the nervous system." This is agreed with by Ashraf Al-Maraghi, stressing that the manufacturer of the drug has never used the term "female Viagra". He added that the media is the one who created this name. He says that the drug "restores the balance of some neurotransmitters in the brain with the aim of improving sexual desire in women, while Viagra treats an organic symptom, which is erectile dysfunction in men."

Doctors warn

While El-Maraghi says the initial signs of sales look very promising, Heba Kotb refuses to prescribe this drug to any of the women who visit her clinic. And she says, "According to the website of the American drug and even the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which approved it, the effectiveness rates of this drug are very limited. It is also useless if the woman suffers from weak sexual desire as a result of a psychological or organic disease."

Qutb says that Viagra is a "light guest on the body", as one tablet can be taken shortly before intimacy and its effect does not remain in the body for more than 36 hours, while a woman must "remain captive" of flibanserin, as she takes a tablet daily for a period long.

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According to official statistics, Egypt suffers from a remarkably high divorce rate, especially in the first year of marriage. Reports of some divorce cases are attributed to poor sexual relations between the spouses.

Qutb explains that "a woman's sex lies in passion. If the wife suffers from marital problems represented by violence or abuse, her sexual desire cannot improve, no matter what drugs she takes."

For her part, Laila confirms that she knows several women who "decided to separate after their sexual life became cold as a result of the turmoil in their marital life in general."

She explains, "A woman will gradually lose her sexual desire if her husband has a bad temper. On the other hand, a woman may tolerate her husband, even if he suffers from impotence, for example, as long as he is a kind and compassionate person. Rather, she will support him and search for solutions with him."

On the other hand, Kotb warns of the social effects that may result from the use of the drug. She says, "When the husband does not notice a tangible improvement in his wife's condition, despite her regular flibanserin intake, he will blame her and not the ineffective drug or their strained relationship. He may find this justified to leave her or marry another woman."

Iqbal despite the high price

The price of one package of flibanserin reaches two hundred Egyptian pounds (more than ten dollars), and it contains ten tablets. Murad says that women need about six containers, or 1,200 Egyptian pounds (about $60), which is a huge amount for all Egyptians, as more than a quarter of Egypt's population lives below the poverty line.

"Initial indications show that the new drug will be very popular, and I believe that its sales will soon reach the same proportion as Viagra sales," Murad says.