The big question now is how many people will use Addyi (pronounced ADD-ee), which is also known as flibanserin and has been called the “pink Viagra.”

According to one survey, about 10 percent of women suffer from hypoactive sexual desire disorder. The F.D.A. said the drug was approved for women whose loss of sexual desire causes marked distress or interpersonal difficulty and is not the result of illness, relationship problems or side effects of other medicines.

Dr. Lauren Streicher, associate professor of clinical obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University, said she sensed great interest for a drug like Addyi among her patients. She said the drug’s availability would encourage many women to talk to doctors about their sexual problems for the first time.

“I think this is going to change the conversation that’s taking place in medical offices across the country,” she said, much as the 1998 approval of Viagra made it acceptable for men to talk about erectile dysfunction.

Leonore Tiefer, a sex therapist at the New York University School of Medicine and critic of the drug, predicted the restrictions on use would keep Addyi from becoming popular. “It’s going to be more trouble than it’s worth,” she said.

Cindy Whitehead, the chief executive of Sprout, declined to predict sales of Addyi, which she said would be available starting Oct. 17.

To allay concerns that the drug would be overused, Sprout has said it would not advertise on radio or television for 18 months after the drug’s approval. Ms. Whitehead said the company would focus its marketing on doctors, not consumers. She said Sprout planned to hire 200 sales representatives, enough to call on about 30,000 doctors, mainly obstetricians and gynecologists but also some psychiatrists and primary care physicians.