What Happens If Women Take Viagra? - IFLScience

First thing’s first: Viagra is not indicated or approved for use in women by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

This means that the drug is particularly effective in increasing blood flow to the penis, resulting in an erection. Since erectile dysfunction is so common among people of all ages, there was a clear market for an oral pill that safely resulted in erections, and the drug was approved for medical use to treat male impotence by the US and in the European Union in 1998. .

Although Viagra is not approved for general use in women by the FDA, a number of scientific studies have explored what effect its active ingredient, sildenafil, has on women. .

This is because PDE5 is also expressed in vaginal, clitoral, and labial smooth muscles, just like the corporal erectile tissue of the penis. One avenue of interest has looked at whether it could help women experiencing low sexual libidos.

A small study in 2008 found that sildenafil may help women who struggle to feel sexually aroused due to taking anti-depressants.

As one example, a larger randomized clinical trial in 2002 looked at whether sildenafil could help women with female sexual arousal disorder, but it had no significant impact.

This means, in this scenario, to treat erectile dysfunction, the drug was likely only tested on men and the real impact the drug might have on women, particularly in the long term, is shrouded in uncertainty.