A new study suggests that Viagra can also be used by women to relieve menstrual pain.
Men and women, deal with different reproductive problems – erectile dysfunction for men and pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) for women. But who would've thought that both sexes can find relief from the same medication – Viagra.
Sildenafil citric, the generic name of Viagra, though famously known to treat erectile dysfunction but it is also used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension in both men and women. However, in a recent study financed by the National Institutes of Health, researchers discovered that the medication also helps reduce moderate to severe menstrual cramps due to menstruation.
The researchers from Penn State College of Medicine and Croatia recruited 25 women, aged 18 to 35, who are suffering from primary dysmenorrhea or painful menstrual periods from Nova Gradiska General Hospital.
The participants were given either a 100-mg Viagra dose or placebo intravaginally and were asked to rate the level of pain after four hours.
They found that those who were given Viagra experienced lesser pain that those who were given placebo.
Researchers believe that Viagra was able to expand the blood vessels which improved the blood flow to the uterus, thus, aid in relieving pain.
Previous studies on menstrual pains have already involved administration of Viagra orally. However, though it can ease pelvic pain, the side effects from oral use -- most often headaches -- prompted doctors to discontinue routine use. However, the researchers of the new study administered it intravaginally.
"The vagina is an effective route for drug administration intended mainly for local action because delivering medication in close proximity to the target organ decreases the incidence of side effects," they said.
"If future studies confirm these findings, sildenafil may become a treatment option for patients with PD," Dr. Richard Legro, lead author of the study and a professor of public health sciences and obstetrics and gynecology, said in a press release. "Since PD is a condition that most women suffer from and seek treatment for at some point in their lives, the quest for new medication is justified."
