The Washington State chapter of Odyssey prides itself on many things, chief among them is an appreciation for news and fads that affect millennials. Our team strives to provide relevant information to the public sphere. With relevant information pertaining to a variety of ideas and current events, our platform is a combination of relatable editorials and evergreen news features.

At Odyssey, millennials can address the issues of importance in our communities and around the world. For example: according to the Kinsey Institute, 86 percent of women in the past year have engaged in vaginal intercourse and approximately 43 million women in the United States are considered "sexually active." Now, those numbers need to be taken with a pretty hefty grain of salt. Statistics regarding science and behavioral tendencies are biased and filled with incurable fact-holes because they're taken from samples and then applied to the general populace. So, for argument's sake, let's just assume that there are a lot of women in the U.S. and a lot of them like sex. Amen.

Now, age does factor into this equation: around 15 percent to 20 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 26 (millennials) engage in sexual intercourse on average a few times a week. However, approximately 2 percent of women between the ages of 40 and 70 engage in intercourse a few times a week. The numbers continue to drop as women get older. Why such a disparity?

One of the reasons for this dichotomy is female sexual arousal disorder(FSAD). About 50 million women experience some form of sexual dysfunction or FSAD, according to Dr. Jennifer Berman, director of the Female Sexual Medicine Center at UCLA Medical Center.

What is FSAD?

Essentially, FSAD is the inability or hindrance of experiencing orgasm through sexual activity. Guess that explains the discrepancy.

Unfortunately for most women, sexual arousal disorder is seen as a sign of rigidity or coldness. Women suffering from said disorder are perceived as disinterested or unwilling, when in truth, it's a series of biological misfires that prevent these women from experiencing arousal. This creates effects such as depression, lack of confidence, and overall inhibition in regards to sexual desire.

"It’s very destructive to their relationships, to their families and their self-image,” says Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League. “We know this is a problem with their brain chemistry. Just like depression. And, just like depression, their brain chemistry can be adjusted. We can treat it. And we should treat it.”

On the opposite side of the gender spectrum, sexual arousal disorder in men — referred to in this case as erectile dysfunction —is seen as something doesn't reflect an inherent social and emotional debilitation, or a man's disinterest or unwillingness. For many years, going on about 15 now, Viagra—the sexual potency drug for men—has been a championing money sponge in the pharmaceutical industry. So much so that it has sparked a sexual revolution, creating approximately 50 million male dependents. With Viagra celebrating its 15-year anniversary, Sprout pharmaceuticals decided that it was time for women to experience the sexual revolution they've long been denied.

Enter flibanserin, a drug recently voted in by the FDA. Produced by Sprout, flibanserin is correlated with higher sexual arousal in women who experience symptoms of FSAD or sexual desire disorder.

Initially, skeptics and medicinal critics were doubtful of the drug's effectiveness. However, after 24 weeks of double-blind experimentation, where both the experimenter and the participants in the study are unaware of the control group, 46 to 60 percent of the women involved in the study experienced positive side effects/a reaction. Overall, women in the study who took flibanserin reported having about 1.7 more sexual experiences per month in comparison with women who took a placebo.

However, not everyone was happy with the drug initially. Flibanserin had been voted down by the FDA four times because of the side effects deemed immeasurable in comparison to the drug's potential benefits (think nausea, vomiting, sleepiness, and low blood pressure). However, after such an impressive correlation statistic, the FDA approved the drug on account of incorporating comprehensive labeling and warnings on the drug's label.

This is a huge step forward in championing women asserting their sexual identity. With drugs like Viagra promoting men's sexual health and an inherent lack of understanding, resources, and pharmaceuticals for women, pills like flibanserin are starting to pave a new path for women's sexual health. Here's to you, ladies. Viagra for one, Viagra for all.