(Press-News.org) Sexual dysfunction is a reality for many women, but the subject remains taboo. A large percentage of women remain untreated, a problem that is exacerbated by the shortage of treatment options for female sexual dysfunction. A research team from GAIA in Hamburg, in cooperation with the Institute for Sexual, Psycho- and Trauma Therapy in Munich, the University of Lübeck, and the Medical School Hamburg, has now investigated the digital therapy “mylovia” The results of the randomized controlled trial (RCT) were published today in the peer-reviewed journal npj Digital Medicine and show a statistically significant and clinically relevant effect of mylovia.
mylovia supports women in overcoming sexual dysfunction to experience deeper pleasure and greater self-determination. The RCT enrolled 252 women aged 18 and above with a diagnosis of sexual dysfunction. After three months of using mylovia in addition to their usual treatment, a statistically significant and clinically relevant improvement in sexual function was observed in the intervention group compared to the control group (see graph). In addition, mylovia users reported significantly greater improvements in sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, and thoughts and behaviors related to sexual pain. The digital therapy shows similar effect sizes to face-to-face psychotherapy for female sexual dysfunction. As a self-guided intervention, mylovia can provide affected women with access to treatment, helping to close the gender health gap.
Wiebke Blaszcyk, sex therapist and study lead for mylovia at GAIA, explains: “We have a large problem in Germany regarding treatment options for women with sexual dysfunction. Even gynecologists are often at a loss when it comes to libido, arousal, orgasm, and pain disorders once organic causes are ruled out. That's why we're particularly pleased that mylovia can effectively support these women.”
mylovia is a digital therapeutic using evidence-based psychological and psychotherapeutic methods. mylovia provides affected women with practical knowledge and specific exercises. Its main feature is a virtual dialogue that delivers information in brief and focused segments. Users engage with the program by choosing from a set of predefined responses the one that best aligns with their interests or individual situations. This triggers an empathetic exchange where the system acknowledges each input before offering the next piece of knowledge. The resulting process creates a continuous dynamic that mirrors the flow of an actual conversation.
Based on the positive study results, mylovia has been submitted to the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) for reimbursement. If approved, the digital therapy would be prescribable by doctors and therapists as a Digital Health Application (DiGA), Germany’s prescription-based digital therapeutics program.
About GAIA
GAIA is a global leader in the development of evidence-based, fully-automated and self-guided digital therapy systems that have benefited patients, physicians, and insurers for over two decades. Its product portfolio includes not only digital health applications (DiGA) but also numerous innovative therapeutics for mental health conditions, as well as other therapeutic areas such as immunology, rheumatology, MS, and back pain.
For over 25 years, GAIA has combined scientific, technological, and therapeutic expertise under one roof. Its goal is to support as many people as possible in restoring and maintaining their mental and physical health, thus improving their quality of life and well-being. The expert team at GAIA has confirmed the efficacy of its products in over 30 RCTs and meta-analyses. GAIA is the 48th member of the Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (vfa). For more information, visit https://www.gaia-group.com.
END
RCT demonstrates effectiveness of mylovia, a digital therapy for female sexual dysfunction
2026-02-03
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Wistar scientists demonstrate first-ever single-shot HIV vaccine neutralization success
2026-02-03
PHILADELPHIA — (TUESDAY, FEB. 3, 2026) — Scientists at The Wistar Institute have developed an HIV vaccine candidate that achieves something never before observed in the field: inducing neutralizing antibodies against HIV after a single immunization in nonhuman primates. The innovative approach, published in Nature Immunology, could significantly shorten and simplify HIV vaccination protocols, making them more accessible worldwide.
The research, led by Amelia Escolano, Ph.D., assistant professor in Wistar’s Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center and the senior author of the study, ...
Medical AI models need more context to prepare for the clinic
2026-02-03
Medical artificial intelligence is a hugely appealing concept. In theory, models can analyze vast amounts of information, recognize subtle patterns in data, and are never too tired or busy to provide a response. However, although thousands of these models have been and continue to be developed in academia and industry, very few of them have successfully transitioned into real-world clinical settings.
Marinka Zitnik, associate professor of biomedical informatics in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical ...
Psilocybin shows context-dependent effects on social behavior and inflammation in female mice modeling anorexia
2026-02-03
CLAYTON, Victoria, AUSTRALIA, 3 February 2026 -- Researchers led by Dr. Claire Foldi at Monash University have discovered that psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in magic mushrooms, produces subtle but distinct effects on social behavior and inflammation that depend critically on metabolic and exercise context in female mice. The peer-reviewed study, published in Psychedelics, represents the first systematic investigation of how this compound influences sociability in female mice exposed to activity-based anorexia (ABA), a widely ...
Mental health crisis: Global surveys expose who falls through the cracks and how to catch them
2026-02-03
NEWTON, Massachusetts, USA, 3 February 2026 -- In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview published today in Genomic Psychiatry, Dr. Ronald C. Kessler, the McNeil Family Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School, reflects on a career that fundamentally altered how researchers and policymakers across the globe understand the prevalence, distribution, and treatment of mental disorders. With secondary appointments as Professor of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Program Director at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, and at the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Precision Psychiatry, Dr. Kessler has built an unparalleled ...
New boron compounds pave the way for easier drug development
2026-02-03
A major step towards simpler drug development has been taken at the University of Gothenburg. In a new study, researchers have developed stable boron-fluorine compounds that make it possible to increase the effect or reduce side effects without breaking down the medicine.
Chemical compounds based on the element boron are central tools in modern chemistry and are used, among other things, to build drugs, advanced materials, and molecules for medical diagnostics. Some types of boron compounds are still difficult to produce, especially when the boron atom must be placed very precisely in a complex molecule. This limits the possibilities for ...
Are cats ‘vegan’ meat eaters? Study finds why isotopic fingerprint of cat fur could trick us into thinking that way
2026-02-03
Cats – unlike humans – are true carnivores: they must eat meat to survive because their bodies can’t draw some essential nutrients from plants. By looking at tissues, researchers can get a good understanding of what foods animals ate.
Now, researchers at the Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science at the University of Vienna measured nitrogen and its stable isotopes 15N and 14N in the fur and whiskers of domestic cats as well as in cat food available in supermarkets. They then compared nitrogen isotope values to those found in the hair of humans ...
Unexpected partial recovery of natural vision observed after intracortical microstimulation in a blind patient
2026-02-03
A patient with complete blindness caused by irreversible optic nerve damage partially recovered natural vision after participating in a clinical trial of electrical stimulation of the visual cortex conducted by researchers from the Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche (UMH) and the CIBER in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN). The unexpected improvement was spontaneous, sustained over time, and independent of the implanted device.
The case was observed during a study designed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a cortical visual prosthesis. Although the goal of the trial was to generate artificial visual ...
From sea to soil: Molecular changes suggest how algae evolved into plants
2026-02-03
Before plants evolved, vegetative life consisted of primitive green algae living in the sea. Like plants, these algae survived by performing photosynthesis, turning sunlight into energy. However, little light reaches the ocean where algae live; therefore, they evolved specialized organs to grab what little is available.
Among these tiny ocean algae are prasinophytes, which are among the earliest photosynthetic life forms on Earth. Like all photosynthetic organisms, they rely on a pigment–protein complex called LHC to capture sunlight. How efficiently LHC performs photosynthesis in different environments depends on the pigments ...
Landmark study to explore whether noise levels in nurseries affect babies’ language development
2026-02-03
Nearly two million children in the UK are affected by early language delays. New research will examine whether noise in nurseries is a hidden factor.
An estimated 1.9 million children across the UK are affected by early language delays, with rates doubling among children from disadvantaged backgrounds. A major new research project led by The Institute for the Science of Early Years (ISEY) at the University of East London supported by the Nuffield Foundation, will explore how background noise in nurseries affects early language development. The study ...
Everyday diabetes medicine could treat common cause of blindness
2026-02-03
Doctors have found that metformin, an everyday medicine for diabetes, is associated with less progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the commonest cause of blindness in western countries.
People with diabetes over the age of 55 years taking metformin were 37% less likely to develop the intermediate stage of AMD over a five year period compared to those not taking metformin.
AMD is a disease which affects the central retina or macular at the back of the eye. It eventually causes the light-sensitive tissue to die off (geographic atrophy, a form of ‘dry’ ...