NAMS Challenges New York Times Op-Ed

By: Red Hot Mamas

Published: March 5, 2015

NAMS Challenges New York Times Op-Ed, Nothing Is Wrong With Your Sex Drive.

On Friday, February 27, the New York Times published the opinion piece, Nothing Is Wrong With Your Sex Drive, by Emily Nagoski. The NAMS Board of Trustees decided that the inaccuracies and biased messages of this piece could not go unaddressed. On February 27, the Board emailed a response to the New York Times editor, signed by the NAMS Executive Committee. To not respond would be to send a message of tacit agreement to our patients and further the misinformation that we know to be detrimental to the health and quality of life of all women. NAMS’ response is below:

The claim in Nothing Is Wrong With Your Sex Drive that hypoactive sexual desire disorder does not exist invalidates the experience of the 9.5% of American women who are currently living with this condition.
As an organization devoted to promoting midlife women’s health, The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) wants to ensure the dissemination of accurate information. The FDA recognizes that low sexual desire with distress is an accepted disorder and among the top 20 unmet medical needs for women. As a testament to the importance of this problem, the FDA recently held a 2 day workshop to hear directly from women and experts in sexual medicine. There is not a ‘one size fits all’ treatment for sexual problems in women or men. While sex therapy may help some women, science has shown us that low desire is best understood from a biopsychosocial perspective. Women deserve a range of treatment options, and the distress they voice regarding their sexual problems should be respected.

The Executive Committee of The North American Menopause Society
Margery Gass, MD, NCMP
Andrew Kaunitz, MD, NCMP
Pauline Maki, PhD
Peter Schnatz, DO, NCMP
Marla Shapiro, MDCM, NCMP
Jan Shifren, MD, NCMP
Lynnette Sievert, PhD