Could women take Viagra in the future?

Approved in 1998, the erectile dysfunction treatment Viagra quickly became a household name. Today, it is used by millions of men. Although Viagra had initially been developed to treat a heart problem, researchers soon discovered that it was more useful as a treatment for erectile dysfunction. Viagra continues to be a subject of research – and scientists are now looking to establish whether the active ingredient sildenafil could benefit women, too.

Viagra contains the active ingredient sildenafil, which improves the blood flow to the penis and makes it easier for men to gain and maintain an erection. In the search for a sexual dysfunction medicine for women, physicians have also turned to Viagra. A study conducted by the Female Sexual Medicine Center at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles initially produced positive results – with most female participants of the study reporting that Viagra had increased their sexual satisfaction. However, subsequent studies failed to confirm these results, which indicates that the women may have benefited from a placebo effect, not actual medication.

Rather than investigating Viagra’s properties as an aphrodisiac for women, other scientists have researched the use of sildenafil for completely different conditions. Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Nevada trialled Viagra as a medication to increase female fertility and found, that the drug increased women’s chance to conceive. Infertility in women is often linked to the lining of the uterus being too thin for a fertilised egg to implant. Viagra, so the scientists say, may thicken the lining and make pregnancy more likely. However, it is important to bear in mind that these results are preliminary – further research is needed to confirm that the drug works and that it does not have adverse effects in women.

Fertility is not the only area of women’s health Viagra may be relevant to. Researchers from the Penn State College of Medicine hypothesised that the increase in blood flow caused by Viagra may help alleviate menstrual cramps in women. When testing their hypothesis with a small sample of 25 women, they received a positive response about the pain relieving effect of Viagra. At the same time, however, women who were given a placebo instead of sildenafil also reported an improvement of their condition. It is currently unclear whether Sildenafil really helps with period pain, or whether it merely provides the placebo effect any tablet would.

Research into the benefits which Viagra may have for women is still in its infancy. There is currently no indication that taking Viagra will improve a woman’s sex life – and what is more, whether Viagra could be dangerous for women. Having been licensed for the use in men only, medical trials have only included male subject. Before any medication for women containing sildenafil could be approved and licensed, its benefit and potential side effects will have to be proven in conclusive trials.

The editorial unit