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Enrolling by Invitation

NCT Number: NCT05122325

Treatment for Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Spinal Cord Injury

Women with spinal cord injury frequently experience sexual dysfunction such as disturbances during arousal and an increased time to orgasm. However, little evidence has been found on its therapeutic approach and low adherence. To verify the effectiveness of two interventions: the application of genital vibration and transcutaneous stimulation of the tibial nerve.

This is a randomized clinical trial. 54 women will be recruited who suffer from sexual dysfunction.

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Key information

Conditions

Spinal Cord Injuries Behavior Central Nervous System Diseases Female Urogenital Diseases Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications Male Urogenital Diseases Nervous System Diseases Pelvic Floor Disorders Pregnancy Complications Sexual Behavior Sexuality Spinal Cord Diseases Trauma, Nervous System Urogenital Diseases Wounds and Injuries

Age range

18 year–60 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Cristina Lirio-Romero

Toledo, 45001, Spain

About this study

The allocation will be randomly assign to the three groups: an intervention group 1 transcutaneous electrostimulation of tibial nerve (n = 18), an intervention group 2 genital vibration (n = "18) and a control group (n = 18). The treatment time will be 12 weeks. Treatment adherence, as well as treatment effectiveness, will be evaluated through the Female Sexual Function Index, the "Sexual Quality of Life-Female" questionnaire, quantitative sensory tests and the improvement reported by the patient in arousal and orgasm. Evaluations will be carried out before treatment, at the end of the treatment, and at 3 and 6 months after the end of treatment.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Women with incomplete spinal cord injury B, C or D (with preservation of the sacral arch and sensitive assessment of the lower dermatomes not absent, paying special attention to the sensitivity of the genital area) level below T6.
  • between 18-60 years
  • hormonal analysis. Participants do not present menopausal values of the hormone FSH (follicle stimulating hormone ) (31- 134 U / L)
  • present some type of sexual disorder secondary to spinal cord injury with at least 12 months of evolution
  • from Spain
  • willing to attend the evaluation and treatment center
  • seeking to improve in the sexual area.

Exclusion criteria

  • women with active pregnancy
  • present pre-existing pathologies in the genital area
  • genital malformation, previous neurosurgery that affects the genital response capacity
  • sexual disorders before the injury
  • pressure ulcers, serious medical illness or any type of pathology in which the use of sick leave is contraindicated frequency
  • psychiatric disorder, narcotic dependence, use of specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors, antipsychotics or other drugs that affect sexual response.
  • does not sign the informed consent.

Treatment and study plan

Transcutaneous tibial nerve stimulation TENS® EMS NMS60 device

Device

Stimulation sessions with a TENS® EMS NMS60 device. These will be carried out for 30 minutes, once a week at 10 Hz, with a pulse width of 200 μs and an intensity between 0 and 100 mA, which will be individually adjusted to each participant.

Inicially, frequency between 2-3 Hz, so that when the current passes, a contraction-relaxation will cause the first toe movement visually evident (excitomotor threshold).

Once verified, the frequency is raised to what has been established between 10Hz and there the intensity is increased without having to now reach the excitomotor threshold, as long as the physiotherapist notice it is enough (it must be tolerable).

Other names: TTNS

Genital vibration with Ferticare 2.0® vibrator

Device

Women will be instructed in the use of the Ferticare 2.0® vibrator. Initially, a practice will be carried out , indicating that the frequency of use will be 70 Hz with an amplitude of 1.5 mm. It will be recommended to gradually increase its use over time, with a limit of 30 minutes a day.

Other names: vibration

TENS® EMS NMS60 device_sham intervention

Device

Sham of TTNS intervention with Stimulation sessions with a TENS® EMS NMS60 device. These will be carried out for 30 minutes, once a week.

Inicially, frequency between 2-3 Hz, so that when the current passes, a contraction-relaxation will cause the first toe movement visually evident (excitomotor threshold).

Once verified, the intensity is decreased to lower the sensitive threshold of treatment.

Other names: Control

Primary outcomes

  1. The "Index of female sexual function (IFSF)"

    Time frame: 5 minutes

    This questionnaire showed validity, internal consistency in all its domains, specifically Cronbach's Alpha 0.745 in arousal and 0.753 in orgasm and test-retest reliability of ICC 0.96. This questionnaire consists of 19 questions and is grouped into six domains. The score for each domain is multiplied by a factor and the final result is the arithmetic sum of the domains. The higher the score, the better sexuality.

  2. Sexual Quality of Life-Female (SQOL-F)

    Time frame: 5 minutes

    SQOL-F showed good validity and reliability. The questionnaire was developed to measure the impact of sexual disorders on quality of life. This questionnaire consists of 18 questions with a response scale of 6 options. The quality of sexual life will be considered poor if the score is between 18-51, moderate between 51-84 and good if it is greater than 84.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Cristina Lirio

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Vibration and Transcutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation As a Treatment for Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Spinal Cord Injury: a Randomized Clinical Trial

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2027
First posted
Nov 16, 2021
Registry last updated
Feb 19, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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