When “sexual dysfunction” is mentioned, men are usually the first gender that comes to mind. But the truth is, sexual dysfunction can affect anywhere from a whopping 30-40% of women.
This leads to the following question: does Cialis work for women? Or is there an alternative Cialis for women that can help with their sexual problems?
In this article, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how these types of medications work for women and the alternatives that can help.
Keep reading to learn more.
Cialis is the popular brand name for the generic medication tadalafil. It is commonly used as an erectile dysfunction medication for men. It is a phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor, like other sexual dysfunction medicines like Viagra.
For men, PDE5 allows more blood to flow to the penis by making the vessels in the penile tissues relax. This allows men to get and maintain an erection long enough to have sexual intercourse.
The short answer is no. It is not recommended for women to take Cialis for sexual dysfunction. There is no evidence that it increases libido or helps improve sexual function in women.
Although researchers have done tests to see if it works for women experiencing sexual dysfunction, there is insufficient or conflicting evidence that it works.
However, some alternatives can help females that experience sexual dysfunction issues.
Before we cover some medications that can help women through sexual dysfunction problems, it’s important to understand what exactly they are treating in the first place.
There are three different types of sexual dysfunction in women. Let’s read more about them.
Sexual pain refers to three different things:
Dyspareunia refers to when women have pain before or after sex. This can be pain experienced during entry, during thrusting, or a throbbing pain that happens throughout sexual intercourse.
Some causes of this pain can include:
Vaginismus refers to involuntary muscle spasms that happen inside a woman’s vagina.
Another type of sexual dysfunction includes orgasm disorders. These are further broken down into:
Anorgasmia is the inability to achieve an orgasm.
Although these issues can link to psychological problems or situational issues with sex partners, it is also linked to physical conditions like Parkinson’s Disease or multiple sclerosis. Other possible factors include alcohol, surgeries, smoking, medications, or age.
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder is the fancy medical term for a lack of sexual desire or low libido. Although asexuality is a real sexual orientation, HSDD categorizes as a condition for those that experience low libido but want more sexual desire.
HSDD isn’t caused by a single thing. It involves a complex array of psychological and physical factors. This can include:
The first route of action when experiencing HSDD is to dig to find the original cause, whether physical or psychological.
A woman’s psychology plays a huge role in their sexuality. Sexual dysfunction might not always be a physical issue. Some psychological issues that can stand in the way include:
Finding the root psychological cause can take some time and may require professional help to get to the bottom of it.
Because of the lack of research on tadalafil for women, there could be more side effects that affect those with female reproductive organs.
One study showed that Viagra for women might help them get pregnant easier by thickening the uterine lining, but it was inconclusive.
However, there are several side effects of Cialis that happen in men. These include:
Some less common but serious side effects include:
Consult a doctor before trying Cialis.
In 2018, medication was approved by Health Canada to treat low sex drive in women. This medication is called flibanserin (Addyi).
Flibanserin was created as an antidepressant but has been shown to help treat HSDD. It does this by targeting the 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2A) receptors in the brain. This helps lower serotonin at the same time as increasing dopamine and norepinephrine neurotransmitters.
Although it is not yet fully understood how it improves sexual function, most medical research thinks that it stimulates excitatory elements of the brain function related to sexual cues.
Some side effects that are associated with flibanserin include:
Less common but more serious side effects include:
Make sure to consult a doctor before moving forward with any medication for sexual dysfunction.
That’s everything you need to know for Cialis for women. In conclusion, Cialis, Viagra, and other PDE5 inhibitors that are designed for men should not be consumed by women.
However, there are alternative treatments that are designed to help women with sexual dysfunction, like flibanserin.
If you’re ready to select from several popular medicines at competitive pharmacy prices, all from the comfort of your home, make sure to check out Kiwi Drug today!