Re: Eros Device
From: art fougner, md (evsono@pipeline.com)
Thu May 4 18:02:26 2000
"Different strokes for different folks..."
Sylvester Stewart
art
At Thu, 4 May 2000, RModugno@aol.com wrote:
>
>I had a patient in my office who is a professional body piercer. Among other
>places,she has a pierced clitoral hood with a barbell type device. She says
>that since having this done, orgasms have been longer and stronger. Is this
>the answer to our lost libido epidemic or is THIS:
>
>FDA Clears First Device for Female Sexual Dysfunction
>Date: Thursday, May 04, 2000
>Companies: UroMetrics Inc.
>Category: Devices
>
>Staff reports
>
>A first-of-its-kind device to treat female sexual dysfunction by directing
>increased blood flow into the genitalia has been cleared by the FDA.
>
>The device, called Eros-CTD (clitoral therapy device) and manufactured by
>UROMETRICS INC. (St. Paul, MN), provides gentle suction directly to the
>clitoris, causing engorgement and resulting in increased sensation and
>lubrication. It is designed to treat dysfunction caused by inadequate blood
>flow to the genitalia--comparable to erectile dysfunction in men, a
>spokeswoman for the company said. The device will be available by
>prescription only.
>
>While impotence treatments for men have been revolutionized by Viagra and
>penile devices, solutions for women's problems have not been as forthcoming.
>Women's sexual dysfunction has been regarded primarily as a psychological or
>emotional issue.
>
>But female sexual dysfunction was center stage Wednesday at the annual
>American Urological Association conference in Atlanta, Ga. UroMetrics
>announced the FDA approval of Eros at the conference, and presentations to
>the urologists addressed such topics as use of Viagra by women and research
>into causes of female sexual dysfunction.
>
>Female sexual dysfunction affects more than 43 percent of American women, or
>about 40 million, to some degree, according to experts at the urology
>conference. The majority of the women are postmenopausal, but women with
>diabetes, spinal cord injuries or cardiovascular problems also tend to
>experience more dysfunction.
>
>Claire Hovland, chairman and CEO of UroMetrics, told Medical Industry Today
>that female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is categorized into four areas--desire,
>arousal, orgasmic and pain disorders.
>
>According to the FDA, female sexual arousal disorder is a persistent or
>recurrent inability to maintain adequate vaginal lubrication, expansion of
>the vagina, and swelling of the external genitalia during sexual activity.
>
>Eros is designed to treat arousal and orgasmic disorders, Hovland said. The
>device has a small, soft, plastic vacuum cup that is placed over the clitoris
>immediately before sex. It is powered by a palm-size battery-operated vacuum
>pump.
>
>By drawing blood flow to the clitoris, sensation increases, Hovland said.
>Furthermore, the rapid increase in blood flow through the vagina triggers a
>response that produces vaginal lubrication, he said.
>
>According to a release from the FDA, UroMetrics studied the Eros in 25 women,
>15 of whom had female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD). All 15 of the women
>with FSAD experienced more sensation; seven, more orgasm; 12, more
>satisfaction, and 11, more lubrication. Among the 10 with normal sexual
>function, four experienced more sensation; four, more orgasm; two, more
>satisfaction, and 3, more lubrication. There were no adverse events from
>using the device, the FDA stated.
>
>Hovland said the study showed there was no bruising or other tissue damage
>from using the device.
>
>The device will cost $359 and UroMetrics expects it to be covered by Medicare
>and private insurance companies to the same extent that penile vacuum devices
>for erectile dysfunction are covered, Hovland said.
>
>Response by urologists and urogynecologists at the Atlanta conference to Eros
>was "just tremendous," Hovland said. "That was so satisfying to see. They
>looked at this and they said, 'It's about time somebody did something for
>women.'"
>
>The medical community did not pay much attention to female sexual dysfunction
>until about three years ago, when Dr. Irwin Goldstein of Boston University
>Medical Center demonstrated the importance of blood flow on normal sexual
>function in women, Hovland said. "Now there is recognition of the problem and
>increasing understanding."
>
>Even with male sexual dysfunction, "it was assumed that 90 percent of it was
>psychological" until several years ago, said Hovland, whose company also
>markets two devices for the diagnosis of erectile dysfunction. "Now it is was
>understood that about 90 percent is physical.
>
>"The prediction is that we will come to the same degree of understanding with
>female sexual dysfunction," he said.
>
>In other news from the urology conference, experts called for more research
>into the physiology of female sexual dysfunction.
>
>In one study, Boston University Medical Center researchers developed methods
>to evaluate the female sexual response in a clinical setting, according to a
>Reuters report.
>
>Investigators measured genital blood flow, vaginal pH, vaginal
>pressure-volume changes and genital vibratory perception thresholds among 60
>research subjects, who also filled out questionnaires.
>
>In another study, Dr. Laura Berman of Boston University Medical Center
>determined that the drug Viagra, which is used to treat impotence, can also
>help women with sexual problems after hysterectomy, according to a Reuters
>report. Before taking Viagra, all women reported they felt little sensation
>and were unable to achieve orgasm. After the drug, only 22 percent complained
>of low sensation, and 18 percent were unable to achieve orgasm.
>
>However, Berman said more research is needed before concluding that Viagra is
>a magic pill for women with sexual problems. She also said she hopes research
>into sexual function after hysterectomy will lead to development of
>nerve-sparing surgical techniques, akin to the nerve-sparing prostatectomies
>for men.
>
>New tools to measure female genital function precisely must be developed
>before treatments can be studied effectively, Dr. Yoram Vardi of the Rambaum
>Medical Center in Hafai, Israel, said in the Reuters report. He has developed
>probes for testing vaginal sensitivity to temperature and vibration, the
>report said.
>
>--
>******************************************************************************
>*
>Robert Modugno MD MBA FACOG
>Marietta, GA
>
--
art fougner, md
A series of 1000 cases begins with but a single anecdote.
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