title: MRI of female genital and pelvic organs during sexual arousal.
abstract: We utilized contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to delineate the anatomy of the female genital and pelvic organs during sexual arousal. Eleven healthy pre-menopausal women and eight healthy post-menopausal women underwent MRI of the pelvis while watching an erotic video. A 1.5 Tesla MR system was used to produce T1-weighted images following administration of MS-325, a gadolinium-based blood pool contrast agent. Selected structural dimensions and enhancement were measured prior to and during sexual arousal. In both pre- and post-menopausal subjects, vestibular bulb and labia minora width increased with arousal. Enhancement measurements increased in the bulb, labia minora and clitoris in both pre- and post-menopausal subjects, and in the vagina in pre-menopausal subjects. There were no marked changes in size or enhancement of the labia majora, urethra, cervix, or rectum during sexual arousal in pre- or post-menopausal subjects. Using MRI, we observed specific changes in the female genitalia and pelvic organs with sexual arousal, in both pre- and post-menopausal women. MRI can potentially provide detailed anatomical information in the assessment of female sexual function, particularly with regard to changes in blood flow.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-6510, USA.
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Heiman
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Garland
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Maravilla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004882:Erotica; D005260:Female; D005836:Genitalia, Female / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D010388:Pelvis / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017698:Postmenopause; D017697:Premenopause; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires