Can Women Take Viagra? What You Need to Know.
Sex is considered by many to be a fundamental part of any successful and fulfilling relationship. It is, however, true that sometimes problems can exist in this area which can prove challenging and stressful for partners. Problems such as these are common in both sexes.
Male erectile dysfunction is a well known and relatively common problem affecting around 50% percent of men between the ages of 40 and 70 years of age according to the NHS website. To combat this there is a ‘wonder pill’ known as Viagra which is used in the treatment of this established condition. As a mark of its success, Viagra has generated millions of pounds of profit for the company.
Viagra contains the drug Sildenafil and is commonly used for male impotence which is essentially the inability to achieve or maintain an erection. In terms of its mechanism; Viagra is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor and it works by maintaining levels of messenger cyclic guanosine monphosphate which relaxes smooth muscle allowing a penis to become erect when sexually stimulated. This process occurs by arteries in the penis dilating, thereby, increasing blood flow. Blood perfusion into the erectile tissues aids this mechanism.
The standard starting dose of Viagra is 50mg and is usually taken one hour before sex. But what about women and Viagra? Can this multi-million pound drug have any positive effects for the other sex? To be clear at this point, no, women cannot take Viagra but it is an interesting case as to the research and the general intrigue into the topic.
This is not a new idea nor concept; many popular female magazines and other high profile newspapers from both the UK and USA have at some point featured an article on this topic and it appears to be an intriguing topic for many people.
Obviously with Viagra the effects on men surround the process of penis dilation by increasing blood flow, so this will be different for women, but how so?
It is thought that Viagra can be used for women by increasing blood perfusion to the female genital area, increasing lubrication and aiding orgasm. Indeed, there has been research into women taking Viagra. These studies are broadly focused around treatment of two female conditions; Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD) and Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD).
Common symptoms of both conditions include lack of ‘excitement’, vagina dryness, loss of sensation and sensitivity in the genital area and, or nipples. The causes of either disorder is generally unknown but in known cases the cause can be multi-factorial and vary greatly between woman to woman, some examples of common causes include drug interactions, psychiatric problems, low levels of testosterone and high levels of prolactine. Understandably, this can cause significant distress for sufferers which may lead to a range of health problems. It is estimated that around half of women, at some point in their life, suffer from some of these symptoms.
It is therefore thought that by taking Viagra women who are suffering from these conditions and those similar to that would have their symptoms alleviated. Indeed, the action of Viagra involves increasing blood flow to the genital area (which is the same process for men treating erectile dysfunction) and consequently increasing the sensitivity and feeling a woman experiences during sexual intercourse. The mechanism behind its action is increasing nitric oxide to the genital tissues; again, this is similar to the process in men. This increases blood flow allowing a woman’s clitoris and labia become more engorged (filled with blood) than usual which results in greater stimulation. In addition, the vagina lining can become more lubricated.
It is important to note that Viagra does not affect the sexual drive of a woman or her libido. This is significant as all the conditions listed above such as FSAD or HSDD are characterized by sufferers having a low sex drive.
In relation to studies in this field, results and findings have been interesting and to a certain extent very promising. One such example is an article featured in the American Journal of Urology written by Laura Berman, director of Berman Centre and professor of obstetrics and gynaecology and psychiatry at North Western University Chicago and Dr. Jen Berman, director of female sexual medicine at UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles, USA.
They conducted a study over a twelve week period in 202 postmenopausal or post-hysterectomy women who complained of suffering from female arousal disorder. The women were aged between 30 and 71 years with an average age of 51 years. The findings of the experiment were based on feedback from the women who kept a journal of their sex lives during the trial period.
It was found from feedback that 69% of women experienced an increase in sensation/ feeling in their genital area during intercourse, eight times greater compared to the group of women taking a placebo medication. Furthermore, 50% of participants reported more pleasant/enjoyable foreplay and intercourse which is nine times greater than the control group. In addition, the side effects experienced by women in this trial were reported as mild to moderate and similar in nature to those experienced by men taking Sildenafil including symptoms such as headache and dizziness.
However, in this study women suffering from Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSSD) displayed much less efficacy when asked regarding their experiences while taking Sildenafil. This is thought by researchers to conform that HSDD is more likely to be caused by an underlying emotional or relationship problem leading to a lack of sexual desire for which Viagra cannot alleviate the symptoms.
It is important to mention at this time that these women in the study were made up of a small and very specific group of particular circumstances (postmenopausal women or had a hysterectomy at some point) and so the findings cannot and have not proven that neither Sildenafil nor products containing Sildenafil such as Viagra are safe or effective for women to use especially considering its effect on pregnancy or women of a childbearing age are unknown.
Indeed, the Food and Drug Association (FDA) have not approved the use of Viagra for women at all, regardless of circumstances. Therefore, if a woman was to request a prescription of Viagra from her doctor or healthcare professional it would not be allowed.
In conclusion, the answer to the question ‘Can women take Viagra?’ is a long one; but in terms of a clear clarification, no they cannot. Indeed, despite some research showing some promising results which suggest that Viagra can help some women in achieving a more pleasing and pleasurable sexual experience, it is not approved by the MHRA and so cannot be supplied to a woman via a prescription from a doctor. Lack of knowledge or a broad range of evidence and research have limited any chances of this situation changing in the near future. Therefore, as a definitive close to this proposal; No, women cannot take Viagra, as not only is it not proven yet to be safe nor can it be confirmed to be truly effective.
Women who are suffering from symptoms as mentioned above should contact their doctor or pharmacist for advice and support.
References:
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Erectile-dysfunction/Pages/Introduction.aspx http://www.webmd.com/erectile-dysfunction/myths-and-facts-about-erectile-dysfunction BNF (British National Formulary) 68 http://www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/medicine/1474/SPC/Viagra+25mg,+50mg,+100mg/ http://www.hsddonline.com/ http://www.webmd.com/sexual-conditions/news/20040107/viagra-improves-sex-for-some-women.
Assured Pharmacy is not liable for the currency or accuracy of the information contained in this blog post. For specific information about your personal medical condition, please contact our doctors or pharmacists for advice on [email protected] .
Can Women Take Viagra? What You Need to Know
