PMS: What can be done about my decreased libido (sex drive)? |
                                
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Following the success achieved with Viagra in the male, some researchers have begun to study this drug for women. Some, but not all, studies have shown encouraging results. VIAGRA has an established safety profile of over 9 years. Viagra isn't licensed for use in women and its safety in women hasn't been established. Viagra is available 25mg and 50mg and 100mg tablets. Viagra has become the fastest selling pharmaceutical drug in history. Viagra was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1998 as a therapy for erectile dysfunction (ED), a term for impotence that surfaced in the 1990s. Viagra is an oral medication for erectile dysfunction (ED). It helps the
majority of
men with ED improve their erections. That means they are able to achieve
harder erections.Viagra works by blocking an enzyme that
normally inhibits blood flow, causing penile tissue to swell. That enzyme is
found in great quantities in the penis and is also found in the pelvic
region of women. In a study from Canada,0202
the efficacy and safety of sildenafil were evaluated in estrogenized and
estrogen-deficient women with sexual dysfunction that included female sexual
arousal disorder (FSAD). Patients were randomized to receive 10-100 mg
sildenafil or matching placebo. A total of 577 estrogenized and 204
estrogen-deficient women were randomized to treatment. All were diagnosed
with FSAD, but it was the primary presenting symptom in only 46% and 50% of
women, respectively. Differences in efficacy between sildenafil and placebo
were not significant for any patient or partner end points. The main adverse
effects were headache, flushing, nausea, visual disturbances, and dyspepsia,
which were generally mild to moderate in nature. It was concluded that any
genital physiological effect of sildenafil was not perceived as improving
the sexual response in estrogenized or estrogen-deficient women with a broad
spectrum of sexual dysfunction that included FSAD. In the study by Laan and colleagues,0201 the effect of a
single oral dose of sildenafil citrate on vaginal vasocongestion and
subjective sexual arousal in healthy premenopausal women. Twelve women
without sexual dysfunction were randomly assigned to receive either a single
oral 50 mg dose of sildenafil or matching placebo in a first session and the
alternate medication in a second session. Significant increases in vaginal
vasocongestion (engorgement) were found with Viagra treatment compared with
placebo. There were no differences between treatments on subjective sexual
arousal experience. Analyses by suspected treatment received found that
significantly stronger sexual arousal and vaginal wetness were reported for
the treatment that was believed to be sildenafil vs. the treatment that was
believed to be placebo. The suspected treatment se quence was incorrect for
half of the women. Sildenafil was well tolerated, with no evidence of
significant adverse events. Sildenafil was found to be effective in
enhancing vaginal engorgement during erotic stimulus conditions in healthy
women without sexual dysfunction but was not associated with an effect on
subjective sexual arousal. Researchers in Italy0303
set out to determine the changes, if any, on female sexual
pathways using sildenafil (primary outcome), and to verify the safety of
this drug (second outcome). Sixty-eight healthy volunteer women aged 19-38
years, asymptomatic for sexual disorders, were enrolled. The study consisted
of 4 weeks sildenafil, 2 weeks washout, and 4 weeks placebo, by two possible
se quences: sildenafil 50 mg, washout, placebo; or placebo, washout,
sildenafil 50 mg. Fifty women completed the study at the first follow-up,
and 38 women reached the second follow-up. Six women withdrew because of
adverse events. Sildenafil improved arousal, orgasm, and enjoyment with
respect to placebo. Significant differences were noted during sildenafil
usage with respect to the baseline for arousal, orgasm, and sexual
enjoyment. The adverse events were transient and mild or moderate. It was
concluded that In California, a study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy and safety
of sildenafil citrate in spontaneously or surgically postmenopausal women
with female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD). There were significant
improvements inincreased genital
sensation during intercourse or stimulation and increased satisfaction with
intercourse and/or foreplay. For women with FSAD without
concomitant hypoactive sexual desire disorder(HSDO) sildenafil was
associated with significantly greater improvement in sensation and
satisfaction compared with placebo. No significant improvements were shown
for women with concomitant HSDD. The conclusion was that Sildenafil was
effective and well tolerated in postmenopausal women with FSAD without
concomitant HSDD or contributory emotional, relationship or historical abuse
issues. Women, the maker of Viagra has found,
are a lot more complicated than men. After eight years of work and tests
involving 3,000 women, Pfizer Inc. announced0401
that it was abandoning its effort to prove that the impotence drug Viagra
improves sexual function in women. The problem, Pfizer researchers found, is
that men and women have a fundamentally different relationship between
arousal and desire. For men, arousal almost always leads to desire. So by
improving a man's ability to have erections, Viagra measurably affects his
sexual function. But arousal and desire are often disconnected in women.
Although Viagra can indeed create the outward signs of arousal in many
women, that seems to have little effect on a woman's willingness, or desire,
to have sex. With women, things depend on a myriad of factors. Still, Viagra
can be effective in some women. Women who once had normal sexual function
but then suddenly lost all desire - often as a result of taking
antidepressants - can be helped by Viagra. Women who have always had low
libido levels are unaffected by Viagra. Much of Pfizer's research found that
the real factor in determining desire and sexual function in women is
hormone levels. Procter and Gamble is testing a patch with testosterone, the
male hormone, as a means of improving female sexual function. Some
gynecologists are already prescribing testosterone for patients who complain
of low libidos. Estrogen treatments and supplements are also commonly used.
Pfizer once had great hopes for its
clinical program testing Viagra in women. In one early clinical trial,
researchers gave six women Viagra and six others a placebo, sat them in
front of erotic videos and used a pelvic probe to measure any change in
genital blood flow. The sex organs of women given Viagra were more engorged
than those given placebos. The program seemed to be succeeding. But a larger
trial that included a questionnaire found that although Viagra was
associated with greater pelvic blood flow, the women experiencing this
effect did not feel any more aroused. Pfizer researchers spent years trying
to find some well-defined group of women for whom increased pelvic blood
flow and desire could be linked. Related Medical Abstracts - Click on the paper title:-
Please click on the required question.
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Thank you for your visiting us at 2WomensHealth.com. This is the personal website of David A Viniker MD FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Whipps Cross University Hospital, London. I do hope that you find the answers to your questions in the patient information and medical advice provided. If you still have unanswered questions, please consider entering them into one of our forums and I will try to assist you. DISCLAIMER The aim of this web site is to provide a general guide and it is not intended as a substitute for a consultation with an appropriate specialist in respect of individual care and treatment.
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