Topical alprostadil for the treatment of female sexual arousal disorder.

Female sexual dysfunction is a common disorder that is present in over 40% of women in the USA. An evaluation of female sexual dysfunction differs greatly from male erectile dysfunction in that female sexual dysfunction is a very general term that encompasses a variety of sexual complaints in women, rather than a specific physiological disorder. No pharmacological treatment is presently approved for the treatment of the myriad of disorders that are involved in female sexual dysfunction. One of the more common disorders of female sexual dysfunction involves disturbances in objective or subjective sexual arousal. Sexual arousal in women has a central component and a peripheral, or vulvar, component. Disorders in vulvar blood flow and stimulation may lead to decreased genital and central arousal. A logical corollary of this statement is that an improvement in local blood flow by the use of a local or systemic vasodilator may lead to an increase in overall sexual arousal and an increase in sexual satisfaction. This article will explore the use of topical alprostadil as a local vasodilator to improve sexual arousal and sexual satisfaction in women with female sexual arousal disorder.