Content Analysis of Patient Voices at the FDA’s “Female Sexual Dysfunction Patient-Focused Drug Development Public Meeting”

Abstract

In October 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration organized a “Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) Patient-Focused Drug Development Public Meeting.” One year later it approved the first drug to treat female sexual desire. This qualitative content analysis used the transcript from the meeting to explore issues of FSD from the perspective of 22 female patients. Patient responses were independently analyzed by two researchers and ultimately the analysis uncovered four themes: confusion of sexuality-related terms, inherent sexual desire, a need to control sexuality, and satisfaction: pleasure versus success. Our discussion of these themes considered patients’ understanding of sexual concepts, the issues of FSD from the patients’ perspectives, solutions for sexual dissatisfaction, and the role of social construction and expectations. The expectation of a consistent and “normal” sexual experience throughout the lifespan without regard for life context was critiqued. Implications for future research were suggested based on the variation of problems reported and the efficacy of future drug trials for concerns relating to FSD.