Claes Hultling reports no commercial interests with the study sponsor. Tara Symonds and Scott Haughie are employees of Pfizer.

Author information

Female Sexual Dysfunction—Medical and Psychological Treatments, Committee 142017, Journal of Sexual Medicine Biochemical Factors Modulating Female Genital Sexual Arousal Physiology2010, Journal of Sexual Medicine Physiology of female sexual function: Animal models2004, Journal of Sexual Medicine Polymer-based nitric oxide therapies: Recent insights for biomedical applications2012, Advanced Functional Materials Women's orgasm2004, Annual Review of Sex Research To evaluate the efficacy, safety and tolerability of oral sildenafil in women with female sexual arousal disorder as a result of SCI (paraplegia/tetraplegia). The study was conducted at clinical practice sites in North America (n =23), 11 European countries (n =23), Australia (n =4) and South Africa (n =2). 129 women were randomized and treated with sildenafil or matching placebo. A 4-week baseline period was followed by 12 weeks of treatment, which could be increased from 50 to 100 mg or decreased to 25 mg once during the treatment period, depending on efficacy and tolerability. By use of an event log, sexual activity was monitored between screening and the end of treatment.

Side effects

The Sexual Function Questionnaire, the Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire–Female, a global efficacy question and Sexual Distress Question were also assessed. Sildenafil-treated women and placebo-treated women had an increase in their percentage of sexual activities throughout the course of the study, with no statistically significant difference between groups in the percentage of successful sildenafil 130mg sexual activities at end of treatment versus baseline. There were also no statistically significant differences between sildenafil- and placebo-treated women on the aforementioned measures. The most common adverse events included headache and vasodilatation. The results of this study are similar to other reports regarding a lack of clinically meaningful benefit of sildenafil in other populations of women.

Full Text Sources

This study was sponsored by Pfizer Inc. Gain free access to this article, as well as selected content from this journal and more on nature.com Targeting recovery: priorities of the spinal cord-injured population. Targeting recovery: priorities of the spinal cord-injured population. Sexual activities, response and satisfaction in women pre- and post-spinal cord injury. Sexual activities, desire, and satisfaction in males pre- and post-spinal cord injury. Susanne Steinberg was an employee of Pfizer when the study was conducted.

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Sildenafil in women with sexual arousal disorder following spinal cord injury.

Sildenafil is primarily approved for erectile dysfunction in men.
Some studies explore its potential to treat female arousal disorder.
Its use for women remains off-label in many regions.
Long-term safety data for women is limited.

Sexual Health in the Neurogenic Patient Current Bladder Dysfunction Reports (2020) Knowledge Gaps in Urologic Care of Female Spinal Cord Injury Patients Current Urology Reports (2019) Sexual Function after Spinal Cord Injury: Innervation, Assessment, and Treatment Current Sexual Health Reports (2016) The little blue pill might help with physical arousal, but there are better treatments for low libido in women Image content: This image is available to view online. Woman researching viagra on her cell phone Concerns about sex drive and sexual performance are extremely common in women.

Some studies have shown mild improvements in female sexual distress.
The drug may help women with orgasmic disorder by increasing sensation.
Women should report any unusual symptoms to a healthcare professional.
Alternative treatments include counseling and hormonal therapy.

Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.

Patients and Methods

Arch Sex Behav 1993; 22: 217–228. Sexual arousal and orgasm in women: effects of spinal cord injury. The effects of spinal cord injury on psychogenic sexual arousal in males. Sexual responsiveness in women with spinal cord injuries: differential effects of anxiety-eliciting stimulation. Arch Sex Behav 2004; 33: 295–302.

Curr. Opin. Neurobiol.

Effects of level and degree of spinal cord injury on male orgasm. Giuliano F, Hultling C, El Masry WS, Smith MD, Osterloh IH, Orr M et al. Randomized trial of sildenafil for the treatment of erectile dysfunction in spinal cord injury. Maytom MC, Derry FA, Dinsmore WW, Glass CA, Smith MD, Orr M et al. A two-part pilot study of sildenafil (VIAGRA) in men with erectile dysfunction caused by spinal cord injury.

Increased genital blood flow

Hultling C, Giuliano F, Quirk F, Peña B, Mishra A, Smith MD . Quality of life in patients with spinal cord sildenafil 100g injury receiving Viagra (sildenafil citrate) for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil effects on sexual and cardiovascular responses in women with spinal cord injury. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders DSM-IV-TR 4th edn (Text Revision). Development of a sexual function questionnaire for clinical trials of female sexual dysfunction. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products sildenafil spray or services.

Hear how patients are reclaiming their lives with Winona:

J Womens Health Gend Based Med 2002; 11: 277–289. The use of the sexual function questionnaire as a screening tool for women with sexual dysfunction. Development of a questionnaire on sexual quality of life in women. Safety and efficacy of sildenafil citrate for the treatment of female sexual arousal disorder: a double-blind, placebo controlled study. Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors and female sexual response: faulty protocols or paradigms?

How much time does it take for Viagra to work for females?

This study was sponsored by Pfizer Inc. Editorial support was provided by Anne Johnson, Janet E Matsuura, PhD, and Deborah M Campoli-Richards, BSPharm, RPh, of Complete Healthcare Communications, Inc., and was funded by Pfizer Inc. Marca Sipski Alexander reports no commercial interests with the study sponsor. Raymond Rosen reports no current commercial interests with the study sponsor. At the time of this research, Dr Rosen served as a consultant and research advisor for Pfizer Inc. Ob/Gyn Salena Zanotti, MD, sees it all the time in her practice: “It’s probably one of the top questions I get asked, and it’s common in adults of all ages.” We know that Viagra® can help men perform between the sheets. Dr. Zanotti clears up what Viagra does, and doesn’t do, for women, and what options are available for you. Technically, yes, women can take Viagra (also known by the generic name sildenafil). But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t approved it for use by women. “Viagra is approved for treating erectile dysfunction, nothing more,” Dr. Zanotti clarifies.

Publication types

Our previous study demonstrated that sildenafil may directly improve the sexuality of women affected by arousal disorders and thus other sexual qualitative functions such as enjoyment and orgasm [15]; sildenafil may play an indirect therapeutic role in the quantitative aspects of sexual function, such as the frequency of sexual fantasies and the frequency of sexual intercourse. We showed that sildenafil was efficacious and safe on women with symptomatic sexual arousal dysfunction (placebo-controlled study). However, we thought that further studies would be needed to verify the efficacy and safety of this PDE5 inhibitor, studying healthy women asymptomatic for sexual dysfunctions, by examining the activity and the influence of the drug on female sexuality. Check access to the full text by signing in through your organization. The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Department and conformed to the ethical guidelines of the 1975 Helsinki Declaration.

Understanding Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD)

The study was performed at the Family Planning Centre of the Group for Sexological Research of the Department of Microbiological and Gynecological Science, School of Medicine, University of Catania, Italy. Based on results of differences between baseline and sildenafil 50 mg of 2.7 in female arousal dysfunction score [15], with α=0.05 and 1− Of the 68 women enrolled in the study, 50 aged 19–38 years, with a mean age (S.D.) of 27 (2.1) years, provided information at each treatment, and at the first follow-up to be included in the analyses (Fig. Eighteen women were excluded after assessment at baseline: (i) four for bisexual relationships, (ii) 10 for more than one sexual partner, and (iii) four for refused treatment. Moreover, 12/50 women did not undergo the second follow-up: two of them had changed their partners, both during After extensive bibliographic and database research (years 1999–2002, key words: sildenafil; efficacy; safety; FSD; asymptomatic pre-menopausal women for FSD), we can state that this is the first clinical research conducted on pre-menopausal women, asymptomatic for sexual dysfunction, to study the efficacy and the safety of sildenafil. The two-period cross-over study design allowed us to obtain outcomes from each individual woman during the use of sildenafil with respect to placebo assumption.

Knowledge Gaps in Urologic Care of Female Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Female sexual response: the role of drugs in the management of sexual dysfunctionObstet. et al.Premenopausal women affected by sexual arousal disorder treated with sildenafil: a double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled studyBr. et al.Sexual dysfunction in the United States: prevalence and predictorsJAMA(1999) Prevalence of and recent developments in female sexual dysfunctionCurr. Definition and classification of female sexual disordersInt. et al.Anatomy and physiology of female sexual function and dysfunction: classificationEur. “It hasn’t proven to be the answer for sexual dysfunction outside of that.” Viagra works by increasing blood flow to the genitals.

Medication Class	Interaction Type	Effect
Nitrates	Dangerous hypotension	Avoid combination
Alpha-blockers	Increased blood pressure lowering effects	Use cautiously, monitor BP
CYP3A4 inhibitors	Increased sildenafil levels	Dose adjustment may be needed
Other PDE5 inhibitors	Cumulative effect	Avoid combining or overlapping doses

For men with erectile dysfunction, that’s a game-changer. In women, Viagra may increase blood flow to the vulva and vaginal tissues, which could enhance your pleasure by heightening your sensitivity and promoting lubrication. Some women taking Viagra may find that having sex is more pleasurable. (And who can argue with that as a perk?) But that’s not true for everyone. Some women taking Viagra may experience side effects like: If you have low blood pressure or you’re taking blood pressure medication, Viagra can cause a further drop that may lead to dizziness and even fainting. And mixing Viagra and alcohol is a big no-no because it can worsen the side effects, Dr. Zanotti warns. While Viagra might work on the physical side of things, other FDA-approved treatments can help women with other issues, like sexual desire.