--- title: "Scientists Create Drug That Makes Patients Super Horny" description: "A naturally-occurring hormone that makes people horny has been turned into an injection for the libidinously challenged — and apparently it works." date: "2023-02-05" modified: "2023-02-05" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/scientists-discover-libido-hormone-drug" categories: - "Health & Medicine" - "Studies" tags: - "hormones" - "kisspeptin" - "libido" - "sex" --- # Scientists Create Drug That Makes Patients Super Horny ![A naturally-occurring hormone that makes people horny has been turned into an injection for the libidinously challenged — and apparently it works.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* A naturally-occurring hormone that makes people horny has been turned into an injection for the libidinously challenged — and it may help users *feel* more attractive as well. New [research out of the prestigious Imperial College London]() is focused on the functioning of a hormone called "kisspeptin" that could "be used to treat women and men distressed by their low sexual desire" — and, fascinatingly, found that some of the participants actually *felt* sexier as a result of the therapy. As a [prior study about kisspeptin]() from 2021 noted, the hormone is what's known as a "neuromodulator" that functions as a sort of switchboard for other sex-related secretions. It plays a big part in bringing on the onset of puberty — hence the "horny like a teenager" cliche — and is connected to everything from physical processes like egg and sperm development to more mental phenomena, such as the way we develop and sustain desire and sexual patterns. Imperial College came to this conclusion about the naturally-occurring hormone by studying both men and women who experience low libido and arousal separately in trials that involved them getting injections of the hormone and looking at pictures of hot people (and, in the case of men, testing their "penile rigidity" as well). The findings, which were [published separately]() by [gender cohort]() in the *JAMA Network Open* journal, documented how an injection of kisspeptin seems to "boost sexual pathways" in both groups. As the press release about the studies notes, the experience of low arousal and desire (known clinically as hypoactive sexual desire disorder or HSDD) affects up to 10 percent of women and eight percent of men worldwide — and it can have "devastating psychological and social impacts" for those who suffer from it. Prior to this new Imperial College research, the researchers found that kisspeptin could "enhance responses to sexual stimuli" in men who don't suffer from HSDD, but these twin trials are, per the school's statement, the first of their kind in studying its effects on those who have HSDD. Interestingly, the press release includes a number of testimonials from some of the studies' participants — one of whom said that the week he got his active kisspeptin injection, he and his partner actually conceived a child. So far, the team hasn't, per one of its papers, seen any adverse effects to the injection, either. We'll be watching this one. **More on sex:** [*Flirting With a VR Hottie Might Help People Avoid Cheating, Experiment Finds*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()