A researcher says that an estimated 33 percent of U. S. women have low sexual desire and it is the top problem women bring to sex therapists.

Drugs to treat low sexual desire may take the focus away from the most common culprits of diminished desire in women, including lack of information on how our bodies work, body image issues, relationship issues and a stressful lifestyle, said Laurie Mintz, associate professor of educational, school and counseling psychology in the Missouri University College of Education.

Mintz said in a statement," Indeed, research demonstrates that relationship issues are far more important in predicting women's sexual desire than are hormone levels. Before women seek medical treatments, they should consider psychological treatment."

Married women ages 28-65, who said they were uninterested in sexual activities were recruited in a study by Mintz and they were asked to complete questionnaires. Half of the participants were selected randomly to read Mintz's book and perform the exercises, and the other half was the control group.

The factors like thoughts about sex, how to talk with a partner and the importance of spending time together were included in Mintz's book. It also included the ways to touch each other in both erotic and non-erotic ways, how to make time for sex and different ways to make sexual activity exciting and thus, increase women's sexual desire.

Women who read the book increased their level of sexual desire by almost 30 percent, the study said. (With Inputs from Agencies)