Nerve stimulation can improve the sexual response in women

WASHINGTON: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD), a condition that can range from a lack of libido to an inability to reach orgasm, affects 40 to 45% of women, especially when they get older. .

The EHR can be difficult to diagnose and even more difficult to treat.

And while clinicians have tried to help women by prescribing sildenafil (better known as Viagra), hormones and flibanserin, these methods do not always work and can have unwanted side effects.

That's why the researchers were intrigued after learning that neuromodulation treatments for bladder dysfunction sometimes resulted in improvements in sexual function.

Tim Bruns, one of the chief investigators, said, "In this particular treatment, a patient receives nerve stimulation therapy once a week to improve neuronal signaling and its functioning in the muscles that control the bladder. location in the spinal cord and ramifications. "

It is interesting to note that, according to Bruns, a form of stimulation is effective against bladder dysfunction despite a strange placement of the electrodes: near the tibial nerve in the ankle.

According to current theory, the nerves that move to the foot overlap near the spinal cord with some of the nerves towards the pelvic organs, resulting in a possible overlap of the synaptic pathways. Bruns decided to study the technique in rats and humans.

In the rat studies published last year and at the beginning of the year, Bruns's team stimulated nerves in the genital area and ankle. After 15 to 30 minutes, vaginal blood flow has increased significantly in rodents.

For the next study, researchers recruited nine women with EHR (and without bladder problems) for a pilot study.

Each woman received 12 half-hour sessions of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation during which participants had electrodes placed in the genital area or on the ankle.

A 53-year-old woman who participated in the study after reporting to her gynecologist difficulties in reaching orgasm described the experience as "a weird pressure vibration sensation". Later, she added, "After a few minutes, however, you get used to it.You are sitting there for 30 minutes.I brought a book to read during my session."

The results of the sessions were very promising. Eight of the nine women reported an improvement in excitement, lubrication and orgasm.

"In a variety of clinical studies, if you get a 50% improvement in symptoms, you can think of it as a successful answer," Bruns says. "Four participants met or exceeded this threshold."

The overall improvement in score was comparable to or better than previous studies on different types of medications or neuromodulation for the EHR, he adds. However, future studies with blindness and placebo control are needed to rule out any placebo effect.

The results appeared in Journal of Neuromodulation.