A study published by the Medical College of Georgia has indicated that the three most popular medications used to treat erectile dysfunction: Viagra; Levitra; and Cialis may have properties that could be used to treat female sexual dysfunction. While scientists have been theorising as to whether this might be the case and vacillating back and forth between yes and no, the Georgia scientists say they believe there should be further research into the treatment possibilities.
The scientists discovered that in both male and female rats, the pudendal artery, supplying blood to the penis or clitoris and vagina, was relaxed by PDE Type 5 Inhibitors, also known as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra. Increased blood flow to the female genitals is a necessary part of a female orgasm. First the rats were given a drug to put the internal pudendal arteries into the same state they would be in a non-aroused state and then they were examined to see the impact of different doses of one of the three impotency medications.
While the male rats showed a fairly typical reaction, with the more drug they received the more relaxed the arteries became, the reaction in the female rats was more complex. They showed relaxation initially, and then with the doses that followed exhibited vacillations between relaxation and contraction. The researchers believe these different reactions provide further evidence that sexual reaction is more complex in women than men.
At the 122nd Annual Meeting of the American Physiological Society Dr. Kyan J. Allahdadi, post-doctoral fellow in physiology at MCG, said they the findings indicate that scientists should not give up on the possibility of ED medications also being useful to help women living with sexual disorders. He recommended that further investigations take place and said that it was possible that ‘small alterations’ to the compound of the drugs could make them more effective for women.