Low libido? Zapping the clitoris with electrical impulses could help boost sex drive
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It’s a problem that affects up to 40 percent of women, but thanks to an unusual new therapy, low sex drive could soon be a thing of the past.
University of Michigan experts say zapping the clitoris with electrical impulses can increase arousal in women with low libido.
The treatment consists of two circular electrodes placed on the clitoris before electrical impulses are given for 30 minutes.
In testing, the team showed that the method was effective in five women, including two with spinal cord injuries.
“Subjective arousal increased significantly from before to after stimulation,” the team, led by Elizabeth Bottorff, wrote in their study.
It’s a problem that affects up to 40 percent of women, but low sex drive could soon be a thing of the past thanks to an unusual new therapy (stock image)
Low libido is a common problem, affecting up to 20 percent of men and 40 percent of women at some point in their lives.
‘It is often linked to professional and personal stress, or major life-changing events such as pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding,’ explains the NHS.
“However, an unexpected loss of libido — especially if it’s long-lasting or recurring — may also indicate an underlying personal, medical, or lifestyle problem, which can be distressing for both partners in a relationship.”
Depending on the cause, there are several things women can do to boost their sex drive, including couples therapy, vaginal lubricants, or hormone replacement therapy.
But in their new study, the team set out to find out whether applying electrical impulses to the dorsal genital nerve — a wishbone-shaped nerve that runs on either side of the clitoral shaft and is responsible for clitoral sensation — might be effective.
Five participants with sexual dysfunction were recruited, including two women with spinal cord injuries.
Before undergoing the treatment, the women were asked to rate their sexual arousal on a scale of one to five.
In one clinic, the researchers placed two small electrodes on the woman’s clitoris, after which they administered weak electrical impulses for 30 minutes.
After the procedure was completed, the women were asked to rate their sexual arousal again.
The results showed that the three women without a spinal cord injury experienced an arousal increase of one to two points on the five-point scale. Meanwhile, the two women with spinal cord injuries saw an impressive increase of two to three points
The results, first reported by New scientistrevealed that the three women without a spinal cord injury experienced an arousal increase of one to two points on the five-point scale.
Meanwhile, the two women with spinal cord injuries saw an impressive increase of two to three points.
Fortunately, the participants experienced no side effects after the treatment.
“The daily pelvic function examinations indicated that bladder, bowel and sexual function of most participants were stable and none of the participants reported transfer effects from the stimulation session,” the team wrote in their study, published in the pre- print magazine, medRxiv.
In future studies, the team suggests that participants watch porn during the procedure to boost their arousal even more.
“Future studies may include audiovisual material or some other type of sexual stimuli to better facilitate arousal,” they added.
It remains unclear when, or even if, the procedure will be available to women in the UK.
The study comes shortly after researchers at Oregon Health & Science University revealed that the clitoris is even more sensitive than we thought.
The team completed the first known count of nerve fibers in the erogenous zone and found that the clitoris contains more than 10,000 nerve fibers — 20 percent more than previously estimated.
“It’s surprising to think that there are more than 10,000 nerve fibers concentrated in something as small as the clitoris,” said Dr Blair Peters, lead author of the study.