According to a news release from Penn State University, women with painful menstrual cramps may discover relief in a class of erectile dysfunction drugs.

Primary dysmenorrhea, also known as PD, is the most frequent cause of pelvic pain in women. The current treatment for PD is non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, like ibuprofen. However, ibuprofen doesn’t work for all women, and can be linked with ulcers and kidney damage when utilized chronically as it typically is for PD.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, many women have uncomfortable periods. Sometimes, the pain is so intense that it is hard to perform normal household, job or school-related activities for a few days during each menstrual cycle.

Primary dysmenorrhea is menstrual plain that takes place around the time that menstrual periods first start in otherwise healthy young women. Augmented activity of the hormone prostaglandin is believed to play a role in this condition.

Sildenafil citrate, also known as Viagra, may assist with pelvic pain because it can result in the dilation of the blood vessels. Earlier work on this topic reveals that using Viagra orally can lessen pelvic pain, but the occurrence of side effects may be too high for regular utilization.

The researchers examined taking sildenafil citrate vaginally, which had not yet been tested, to deal with PD. They examined in contrast pain relief from utilization of sildenafil vaginally with that of a placebo.

Penn State researchers worked with researchers at Nova Gradiska General Hospital in Croatia. Participants in the study were women 18 to 35 years old with moderate to severe PD. Of the 29 women examined for the study, 25 were administered either Viagra or a placebo.

Participants reported their pain over four consecutive hours. Viagra given vaginally lessens acute menstrual pain with no reported side effects. Researchers thought that Viagra would lessen pain, which it accomplishes, but also that it accomplishes this by augmenting blood flow. However, due to the fat that uterine blood flow augmented from both sildenafil and the placebo, the reason it lessens pain has not yet been determined.

“If future studies confirm these findings, sildenafil may become a treatment option for patients with PD,” noted Richard Legro, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and public health sciences at Penn State, in a statement. “Since PD is a condition that most women suffer from and seek treatment for at some points in their lives, the quest for new medication is justified.”

The study’s findings are described in greater detail in the journal Human Reproduction.

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