Vibration or Transcutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation as a Treatment for Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Spinal Cord Injury: Study Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial

Díaz-Ruiz, María del-Carmen; Romero-Galisteo, Rita Pilar; Arranz-Martín, Beatriz; Palomo-Carrión, Rocío; Lafuente, Sara Ando; Lirio-Romero, Cristina

doi:10.3390/ijerph19031478

Cited by 4 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…A vaginal photoplethysmography transducer (TSD204 Biopac Systems Inc., Goleta, CA) was placed in the vaginal canal to monitor vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA), a measurement of relative vaginal blood flow 25 . A clinician placed two round surface electrodes (1.25 inch diameter, ValuTrode Neurostimulation Electrodes CF3200, Axelgaard Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Fallbrook, CA) on either side of the clitoris 26 for DGNS study sessions and above the malleolus and on the bottom of the foot 27 for TNS study sessions. Stimulation was delivered with a transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) device (Empi Select 199584, Medi-Stim Inc., Wabasha, MN, USA).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acute dorsal genital nerve stimulation increases subjective arousal in women with and without spinal cord injury: a preliminary investigation

Bottorff

Gupta

Lane

et al. 2023

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) impacts an estimated 40% of women. Unfortunately, female sexual function is understudied, leading to limited treatment options for FSD. Neuromodulation has demonstrated some success in improving FSD symptoms. We developed a pilot study to investigate the short-term effect of electrical stimulation of the dorsal genital nerve and tibial nerve on sexual arousal in healthy women, women with FSD, and women with spinal cord injury (SCI) and FSD. Methods: This study consists of a randomized crossover design in three groups: women with SCI, women with non-neurogenic FSD, and women without FSD or SCI. The primary outcome measure was change in vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA) from baseline. Secondary outcome measures were changes in subjective arousal, heart rate, and mean arterial pressure from baseline. Participants attended one or two study sessions where they received either transcutaneous dorsal genital nerve stimulation (DGNS) or tibial nerve stimulation (TNS). At each session, a vaginal photoplethysmography sensor was used to measure VPA. Participants also rated their level of subjective arousal and were asked to report any pelvic sensations. Results: We found that subjective arousal increased significantly from before to after stimulation in DGNS study sessions across all women. TNS had no effect on subjective arousal. There were significant differences in VPA between baseline and stimulation, baseline and recovery, and stimulation and recovery periods among participants, but there were no trends across groups or stimulation type. Two participants with complete SCIs experienced genital sensations. Discussion: This is the first study to measure sexual arousal in response to acute neuromodulation in women. This study demonstrates that acute DGNS, but not TNS, can increase subjective arousal, but the effect of stimulation on genital arousal is inconclusive. This study provides further support for DGNS as a treatment for female sexual dysfunction.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%