Tiny nerve zaps may boost blood flow down there
NCT ID NCT04384172
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This small study tested whether mild nerve stimulation could increase vaginal blood flow in women with sexual problems, spinal cord injury, or no issues at all. Nine women had a small sensor placed in the vagina to measure blood flow changes during stimulation. The goal was to understand how nerves affect blood flow, not to treat any condition.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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9 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Nov 2020
- Finished
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Mar 2022
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Non-dysfunction participants, no spinal cord injury Inclusion Criteria: * Adult (over 18 years old) cis-gender female * Neurologically stable * Sexually active at least once per month * Able to consent and communicate effectively with research team Exclusion Criteria: * Male * Pregnancy or planning to become pregnant during study period * Sexual dysfunction, per short-form Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) score below 19 * Lubrication difficulties, per short-form FSFI lubrication subdomain score below or equal to 4 * Clinically diagnosed bladder dysfunction, pelvic pain, or other pelvic organ symptoms * Suspected or diagnosed epilepsy * Active infection or active pressure sores in the perineal region * Implanted pacemaker, defibrillator, spinal cord stimulator, or other nerve stimulator * Currently has or tested positive in the last 14 days for COVID-19 or is symptomatic for COVID-19. Sexual dysfunction participants, non- spinal cord injury Inclusion Criteria: * Adult (over 18 years old) cis-gender female * Neurologically stable * Sexually active at least once per month * Sexual dysfunction, per short-form FSFI score below 19 * Lubrication difficulties, per short-form FSFI lubrication subdomain score below or equal to 3 * Able to understand consent and communicate effectively with research team Exclusion Criteria: * Male * Pregnancy or planning to become pregnant during study period * Clinically diagnosed bladder dysfunction, pelvic pain, or other pelvic organ symptoms * Active infection or active pressure sores in the pelvic region * Implanted pacemaker or defibrillator * Currently has or tested positive in the last 14 days for COVID-19 or is symptomatic for COVID-19. Sexual dysfunction participants with spinal cord injury Inclusion Criteria: * Adult (over 18 years old) cis-gender women * Clinically diagnosed spinal cord injury (AIS A-B) at vertebral level within C6-T10 at least six months prior or clinically diagnosed spinal cord injury (AIS C) at vertebral level within C4-T10 at least six months prior * Nominally sexually active, but at minimum interest in sexual pleasure even if fully self-induced * Sexual dysfunction, per short-form FSFI score below 19 * Able to understand consent and communicate effectively with research team Exclusion Criteria: * Male * Spinal cord injury at or above C5 level (C1-C5) if AIS A or B, or spinal cord injury at or above C3 level (C1-C3) if AIS C * Spinal cord injury below T10 vertebral level or reflexes not preserved * Acute worsening in motor or sensory function in the last month * Suspected or diagnosed epilepsy * Pregnancy or planning to become pregnant during study period * Active infection or active pressure sores in the perineal region * Implanted pacemaker or defibrillator * Currently has or tested positive in the last 14 days for COVID-19 or is symptomatic for COVID-19.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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- Breathing brief Low-Oxygen bursts may boost sleep apnea treatment
- Pure oxygen tested as a switch for dormant nerves after spinal cord injury
- Spinal stimulation tested to help kids with spinal cord injuries sit taller
- Zapping the spine: a new hope for kids with paralysis?
- Can painless spinal zaps teach injured kids to walk again?