by 
While primarily known as a strategy to erectile dysfunction, new research appearing in the journal Human Reproduction finds a new use for Viagra that could benefit women.
Richard S. Legro from the Penn State Hershey Obstetrics and Gynecology department and the colleagues are convinced that the drug, also referred to as sildenafil citrate, may help relieve moderate to severe menstrual cramps.
According to Anna Hodgekiss from the Daily Mail, the reason behind this really is it increases blood flow to the pelvic region when administered vaginally by elevating the amount of the chemical accountable for causing tissues in your body to become relaxed.
“The effects on erection health were discovered accidentally it was originally developed to improve blood supply to the heart in angina sufferers,” Hodgekiss said, noting that previous studies that had women take Viagra tablets for period pain relief found that the drug caused headaches. Those side effects “didn’t occur” when sildenafil was “administered as a vaginal pessary,” she added.
Legro’s team collaborated with researchers in the Nova Gradiska General Hospital in Croatia, recruiting women between 18 and 35 who experienced moderate to severe primary dysmenorrhea (PD) C a typical reason for pelvic pain in females.
Of the 29 ladies who were screened, basically four were randomized to get either Viagra or perhaps a placebo. All of them were asked to rate their pain level over a period of four consecutive hours. The investigators found that the erectile dysfunction drug, when administered vaginally, could alleviate acute menstrual pain without side effects.
Since uterine blood flow increased because of both Viagra and the placebo, the reason that Viagra “alleviates pain is not yet known,” the university said. “Larger studies should be completed to validate the small sample of this study, and extra research is required to decide if sildenafil changes the menstrual bleeding pattern.”
“If future studies confirm these bits of information, sildenafil can become cure choice for patients with PD. Since PD is really a condition that most women are afflicted by and seek strategy to at some points in their lives, the quest for new medicine is justified,” added Legro, who is also a professor at the Penn State College of drugs.
Alan R. Kunselman, also of the Penn State College of Medicine, and R. Dmitrovic from the BetaPlus Center for Reproductive Medicine in Croatia were also involved in the research. The research was funded through the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).
