| Saturday, 26 May, 2001, 23:47 GMT 00:47 UK
Does Viagra Work For Women?
Researchers Say Yes! Part 1 of 3
Viagra: a blockbusting impotence drug
Women may be able to benefit from the anti-impotence drug Viagra,
Italian researchers suggest.
The results of their study conflict with earlier research projects
which found little significant improvement among women who took the
drug.
Viagra was initially designed as a drug to treat sexual problems in
men, improving blood flow to the penis.
However, it has long been suspected that its effect might help many
of the women who suffer the equivalent form of sexual dysfunction - an
inability to either attain enough sexual arousal or to maintain it.
Sexual dysfunction in women is reportedly more common in women than
impotence is in men.
The research concentrated on 53 women in their 20s - all affected by
disorders restricting their ability to get sexually aroused.
Over four weeks, they were given either a placebo, or Viagra, then
questioned about any changes.
The results suggested that both arousal and the ability to achieve
orgasm both improved when Viagra was being taken.
'More satisfied'
The authors of the study, from the Centre for Sexological Research in
the University of Catania, found women taking the drug said they were
more satisfied by sex than those taking the placebo.
Viagra has been a multi-million dollar moneyspinner for Pfizer, the
drug company which developed it, although other anti-impotence drugs are
starting to approach the marketplace.
In the UK, the NHS is prepared to pay for a rationed quantity of
tablets for men whose impotence is found to have a definable physical
cause, or for whom it is causing significant psychological distress.
However, the NHS is not currently prepared to provide Viagra for
women.
However, even Pfizer is somewhat sceptical about the latest research.
A spokesman for the company said: "To date, Pfizer's female sexual
dysfunction (FSD) studies demonstrate that while Viagra has been
well-tolerated, it has not shown a significant increase in reported
sexual arousal.
"Salvadore Caruso's research is an interesting study that we will
review as part of our ongoing research.
"Other Pfizer studies in FSD are ongoing including a phase II
programme which is part of new research providing insight into various
aspects of the condition.
"Results of this should be completed within the next year."
The research was published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology.
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/health/newsid_1352000/1352219.stm
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Saturday May 26, 2001 7:11 PM ET
Does Viagra Work For Women?
Researchers Say Yes! Part 2 of 3
LONDON (Reuter) - Viagra, the anti-impotence drug that has improved the
sex lives of men, also works for women, Italian sexologists reported on
Sunday.
Scientists at the University of Catania in Italy who tested the tiny
blue pills, known generically as sildenafil, found they helped women get
aroused too.
``Our results demonstrate that sildenafil may directly improve female
arousal disorder and thus other sexual qualitative functions such as
enjoyment and orgasm,'' Professor Salvatore Caruso said in a report in the
British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
The researchers said the pills, made by American pharmaceuticals giant
Pfizer, may also play an indirect role in sexual enjoyment by increasing
the frequency of fantasies and intercourse.
In the first study on the use of Viagra on women with sexual arousal
disorder, Caruso and his colleagues tested the pills on 51 women between
the ages of 22-38.
The women were randomly selected to receive Viagra in 25 mg or 50 mg
doses or a placebo over three four-week periods with a week interruption
between each. Each month the women rated their arousal, orgasms, enjoyment
and sexual fantasies on a five-point scale.
The Italian scientists said arousal scores of the women taking Viagra
rose from 1.5 to 4.2 on both drug doses. But the placebo group only
achieved a 2.6 grade.
Enjoyment scores, intercourse frequency and sexual fantasies all rose
in the Viagra group.
The results provided evidence that ``sildenafil affects women in a way
similar to that found in men with erectile dysfunction,'' the researchers
said.
The Italian findings conflict with those of a study of 577 women
presented last year at the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists which found the placebo was more effective than Viagra.
Pfizer said it was still assessing whether the drug, available only on
prescription, could be developed for use by women.
Source:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010526/ts/health_viagra_dc_1.html
Tuesday May 29, 2001 6:11 PM ET
Viagra May Improve Female Sexual Function. Part 3 of 3
By Richard Woodman
LONDON (Reuter Health) - Contrary to previous findings, the male
impotence drug Viagra may improve the sex lives of women with arousal
problems, Italian sexologists reported on Sunday.
Professor Salvatore Caruso and colleagues at the University of Catania
carried out a study to test the hypothesis that Viagra (sildenafil, made
by Pfizer) would improve sexual enjoyment in 51 women with arousal
disorders. The women, aged 22 to 38, were having sex with a male partner
at least once a week but had requested a clinical consultation for lack of
clitoral sensation, lack of vaginal lubrication or for being ``slow to
respond.''
The researchers reasoned that sildenafil might help the women achieve
clitoral erection, a key component of female sexual arousal. The study
included three 4-week periods in which a woman took either a 25 milligram
(mg) or 50 mg dose of Viagra or an inactive placebo, went without
medication for 4 weeks, and then switched to another therapy. The study is
published in the June issue of the British Journal of Obstetrics
andGynaecology.
Women completed a questionnaire each month to quantify arousal, orgasm,
enjoyment and sexual fantasies on a five-point scale. Arousal increased
from 1.5 at the beginning of the study to 4.2 on both drug doses compared
with 2.6 on placebo.
Orgasm increased from 1 to 3.9 on the 50 mg dose, 3.7 on the 25 mg
dose, and 2.4 on placebo. Corresponding measures of enjoyment rose from
1.9 to 3.9, 3.5 and 2.3, intercourse frequency from 1.5 to 3, 2.4 and 1.8,
and frequency of sexual fantasies from 0.5 to 3.2, 2.8 and 1.6,
respectively.
``Our results demonstrate that sildenafil may directly improve female
arousal disorder and thus other sexual qualitative functions such as
enjoyment and orgasm, and it may have an indirect therapeutic role in
quantitative aspects of sexual functioning such as the frequency of sexual
fantasies and thoughts, and the frequency of sexual intercourse,'' the
researchers report.
The results provided evidence that ``sildenafil affects women in a way
similar to that found in men with erectile dysfunction.'' These findings
conflict with those of a study of 577 women presented last year at the
annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,
which found that placebo was more effective than Viagra.
Pfizer said it is still assessing whether the drug could be developed
for use by women.
SOURCE: British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 2001;108
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010529/hl/viagra_1.html
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