A Foreplay Gadget to Get Women in the Mood

Whether it's due to stress at work, menopause, postpartum health issues, or simply not really feeling like it, millions of women report having problems with sexual arousal. Enter Fiera, a recently-debuted sex tech gadget on display at the Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas this week.

The device is not a vibrator or a toy, but a "smart" suction device for getting women in the mood for intimacy. It fits over the woman's clitoris and uses smart tech measures of heat and blood flow to customize suction and vibration to the anatomy. Fiera recommends using the device for 3-15 minutes before sex to enhance arousal.

Despite the fact that arousal issues are so widespread, attendees of CES seemed bewildered when they approached the Fiera booth.

"What is this, a gadget for women who aren't dating real men?" a man pointedly asked CEO Karen Long as I looked on. "This is for women that are with bad lovers," another woman commented as she approached.

Long spent much of the time I was at Fiera's booth reiterating to these passersby this is a normal issue, and the product is for healthy women. With many sexual performance enhancing drugs like Viagra being marketed to men, women still have few options when it comes to arousal issues, and the reactions to Fiera show just how stigmatized it is.

"This is normal, we just don't talk about it," Long said. "Often women think there is something wrong with them, but it's just a normal part of life––sometimes you need a jump start. But it's not a conversation we are having because it is an area that is still, in our society today, taboo to some degree."

In an independent proof of concept study from San Diego Sexual Medicine, 12 postmenopausal women reported increased arousal after testing Fiera. The device is not only for arousal directly before intimacy––users reported after using it regularly they saw increased desire for sex as well.

The product may be one of the more strange and unexpected wearables at CES, but it is clearly addressing a need many people clearly don't even want to discuss. The Fiera 'Arouser for Her' retails for $250 and is on sale now.