Understanding the disease

There is still much to understand about the causes of sexual dysfunction. Sometimes clinical issues affecting sexual function may be impacting more than one aspect of sexual function, such as libido, pain or arousal, making identifying the cause difficult. This is still a developing area of research.

Developing new drugs

Researchers are looking into various drugs that can help promote sexual function.

Replacing lost cells

You may find reports of stem cell trials for erectile dysfunction. These trials are at early stages of development, are focused on safety and are yet to produce evidence of benefit.

The trials also lacked long term follow up, so we do not know whether these interventions pose long term risks. Its important to note that this does not provide any justification for providing stem cell therapy for erectile dysfunction as it may pose risks to patient safety and not provide any therapeutic benefit.

One of the biggest challenges in finding treatments for sexual dysfunction is the complex nature of the causes. It is rare that sexual dysfunction is caused by a single trigger, and often more than one clinical issue affecting sexual function presents. It can also be caused or further complicated by psychological difficulties, making stem cell therapy unlikely to pose as a ‘silver bullet’, but rather something that works for some people.

There are a number of sites that list clinical trials, including the clinicaltrials.gov registry. Please note that the scientific justification for the intervention and the credentials of those offering the service may have NOT been fully evaluated by this registry. Your findings may include listings that are NOT legitimate clinical trials. Please consult with your medical specialist or general practitioner as they are best placed to advise you on whether you would be a good candidate for a trial given your circumstances.

Please note: Although some clinics may claim to already offer stem cell treatments for male and female fertility, there are serious questions about the scientific rationale and the safety of many of these approaches. Currently, there are no proven, safe and effective stem cell treatments for this condition available in Australia, the EU, US or elsewhere.