Currently,
Viagra is not meant for women
as its usage has not been approved
by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). Although preliminary
studies have suggested that
Viagra is safe for women, its
effectiveness in treating female
sexual problems and impotence
still remains unclear, though
some recent studies have suggested
that Viagra may improve the
sexual response in women who
have impaired orgasm as a side
effect of taking certain types
of antidepressants.
Approved by the FDA in March
1998 to treat erectile dysfunction
in men, Viagra, whose active
ingredient is sildenafil, is
meant at the moment for men
only. Manufactured by Pfizer
Pharmaceuticals, Viagra was
the first oral prescription
medication used to treat impotence
or erectile dysfunction. However
it must be noted that Viagra
should be only be used under
proper medical supervision,
as it is a prescription drug.
Only a doctor can prescribe
Viagra and decide if it is right
for a patient.
The reason why Viagra works
in men is that it allows increased
blood flow to the male sexual
organ, causing an erection when
stimulated. Viagra itself does
not stimulate the male sexual
organ; it only helps men increase
their erection when they are
sexually stimulated. In theory
Viagra or sildenafil may have
a similar effect in women allowing
the erectile tissue in the female
sexual organ or the clitoris
to swell up with blood causing
an erection, but tests and research
conducted by Pfizer and Proctor
& Gamble have remained inconclusive.
Other companies have also tried
to develop a female Viagra but
to no avail.
Although it has not been approved
for women by the FDA, some health
care providers have prescribed
Viagra to women who have physiological
and not psychological sexual
dysfunctions. However since
Viagra has no FDA approval for
women, its side effects remain
unknown. Women can experience
side effects similar to men,
but they can also experience
others side effects that can
potentially be more serious
and even fatal. Some side effects
reported in men who take Viagra
include skin flushes, headaches,
indigestion, and muscle pain.
Some men who take higher doses
of Viagra also report visual
disturbances like seeing things
in a blue haze.
The reason behind there being
a delay in introducing a female
‘Viagra’ into the
market is that sexual dysfunction
in women is not quite so simple.
In women, sexual dysfunction
can also be marked by a lack
of desire, arousal, and orgasm.
Many women who do not have orgasms
often complain that they simply
lack the desire to have sex.
This shows that in women, sexual
dysfunction is both a psychological
and a physiological problem.
This is not to say that sexual
dysfunction in women is not
physical. Hypertension, thyroid
disorders, heart disease, cancer,
neurological diseases and autoimmune
disorders are all said to contribute
to sexual dysfunction in women.
Additionally medication as well
as an addiction to prescription
drugs and alcohol also causes
a lack of sexual arousal in
women.
Researchers believe that for
women, sex is not merely about
being aroused, it is also about
being in the mood. For women
sexual desires tend to originate
from the brain. This is the
main reason why Viagra does
not work for women. Viagra,
only increases the blood flow
to the male sexual organ, it
does not cause sexual stimulation.
In men, most impotence is normally
caused by a lack of an erection,
but for women sexual dysfunction
is mostly related to a lack
of desire.
Presently the FDA has no approved
treatments for women suffering
from sexual dysfunction, and
more research still needs to
be conducted on this issue before
any medication is approved for
treating impotence in women.
Note - Proctor & Gamble
recently failed to introduce
into the market a testosterone
patch for increasing sexual
stimulation in women, as it
did not pass FDA trials.
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