Even if you have never tried it, you have probably heard of Viagra. Maybe you’ve even seen it advertised on TV or in a magazine. It’s one of the most recognizable and popular erectile dysfunction medications.
Many men around the world have gotten relief from impotence with the help of Viagra. But did you know that there is also a medication for women? A new generation of medical researchers is looking into whether or not a female Viagra pill could be developed, and if so, what would it involve?
An Overview of Viagra
The active ingredient in Viagra is sildenafil citrate. You may have seen it marketed under the trade name of “Viagra” or “Silagra.” It’s a broad-spectrum medication that treats pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries that supply blood to the lung) and improves oxygenation of the blood.
Sildenafil citrate works by inhibiting an enzyme called Phosphodiesterase-5. This enzyme breaks down cyclic guanosine monophosphate, which is an important chemical in the body that helps to regulate blood flow and relaxes the muscles in the wall of blood vessels. When blood flow is restricted, the muscles in the blood vessels become more relaxed, leading to an erection. When this happens, the person experiencing the erection will feel pleasure and will likely act on it.
The exact same mechanism that helps men get an erection, restricts blood flow in women. This is why sildenafil citrate is able to treat erectile dysfunction in both genders. It’s also important to note that although sildenafil citrate can help men get an erection, it does not cause pregnancy. Therefore, it is officially classified as a PDE-5 inhibitor and is not suitable for use by women who are pregnant.
Is A Female Viagra Possible?
The issue of whether or not a female Viagra is possible has recently been addressed by Dr. Donald J. Tavener in a paper published in the journal Sexual and Relationship Therapy.
Tavener, who is affiliated with the University of Newcastle in Newcastle, England, writes that recent data “suggest that there is every reason to believe that it is possible for women to benefit from [PDE-5 inhibitors] as effectively as men have in the past.”
Tavener goes on to say that although there are still a number of questions that need to be answered before a medication exclusively for women can be developed, advancements in science and technology are making this a possibility.
Some of the areas of inquiry that Tavener and his team of researchers are looking into include:
- How does sildenafil citrate affect women differently from men?
- What doses should be used? How about if a woman takes a higher dose than men?
- Is it better to take the medication before or after sexual activity?
- How does the medication affect the brain?
- And the list goes on…
It is still a little early to tell exactly what form a female Viagra will take. But Tavener’s research is certainly paving the way for the creation of a medication that can treat both men’s and women’s sexual dysfunctions effectively. For more information, check out the journal article “Towards the Development of a Female Viagra” or visit the following websites:
A Clinical Trial on the Efficacy of Sildenafil Citrate in Women
An important step towards the development of a female Viagra is the beginning of a new clinical trial sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The study, which is being conducted by UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, will evaluate the effectiveness of sildenafil citrate in improving erectile function in women. The researchers hypothesize that sildenafil citrate, when administered to women at the same dosage as used in men, will effectively treat their sexual dysfunction.
This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. This means that neither the women nor the researchers know who is receiving the medication and who is getting a placebo until the study is finished and the results are analyzed. The goal of the study is to determine the efficacy of sildenafil citrate in treating various types of sexual dysfunction in women.
If the trial is successful, it could be a significant step forward in the quest to find an ED medication that is safe and effective for both men and women. If a drug is shown to be more effective and/or safer in women than in men, it will likely be approved for use in women only, thereby avoiding the “male bias” that is often associated with pharmaceutical research. Furthermore, if sildenafil citrate is shown to be an effective treatment for women with arousal disorder, the trial could even prove that it is a viable treatment option for Premature Ejaculation, which is usually associated with men’s sexual dysfunction. Finally, if sildenafil citrate is shown to be an effective treatment for women with vaginismus (severe contractions of the vagina), it could prove to be a safer and more reliable treatment option than many of the existing ED medications. This is because sildenafil citrate does not cause nausea or interfere with the functioning of the liver as much as other medications do.
A Review of the Research to Date
To put it simply, there is a lot of research to date on sildenafil citrate and its potential to treat men’s and women’s sexual dysfunctions effectively. Here is a short list of the most significant studies: