Visual Erotica, EMG, and Sexual Psychophysiological Arousal (VESPA)

University of British Columbia

Status: Completed

Conditions: Sexual Arousal

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01700361

H12-01852

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will examine whether measurement of pelvic floor muscle sEMG activity is responsive to explicit sexual stimuli, and whether it correlates with self-reports of sexual arousal in healthy women. Participants' vaginal, labial and anal sEMG readings will be monitored during exposure to neutral, erotic and anxiety-provoking films. Participants will also be required to provide subjective ratings of sexual arousal before and after each film. If pelvic floor sEMG is validated as a psychophysiological measure, these findings may have important clinical and research implications by providing a greater understanding of the mechanisms involved in sexual arousal and for providing a relatively easy method of assessing sexual arousal in a clinical or research setting.

Full description

HYPOTHESES:

1. Investigators hypothesize that, relative to the neutral films, PFM EMG activity will significantly increase in response to the erotic film as measured by the labial, anal, and vaginal EMG probes.
2. Investigators hypothesize that, relative to the anxiety-provoking film, PFM EMG activity will significantly increase in response to the erotic film as measured by the labial, anal, and vaginal EMG probes.
3. Investigators hypothesize that continuously measured subjective sexual arousal (via the arousometer) will correlate significantly with PFM EMG activity during the erotic film.

Enrollment: 15 patients

Sex: Female

Ages: 19 to 45 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Must be female, between the ages of 19-45
• Must be premenopausal
• Must be previously sexually active
• Must be fluent in English

Exclusion criteria

• Lack of fluency in English
• Not female between the ages of 19-45
• Not previously sexually active
• Any previous deliveries, either vaginal or by c-section
• Any sexual arousal disorder
• Any genital pain or pelvic pain disorders
• Any bowel or bladder syndromes (e.g. interstitial cystitis, irritable bowel disease, Chron's disease)
• Any urinary incontinence or pelvic organ prolapse
• Undergone medically induced menopause
• Undergone total or partial hysterectomy
• Undergone surgery for incontinence or prolapse
• Using estrogen suppression medication

Trial design

15 participants in 1 patient group

No treatment

Description:

This is an observational study. Women in this study are not receiving any treatments.