Could there Be a shot for that?

One thing you probably never thought your physical therapist would bring up is the topic of orgasm. Am I right? Well, pelvic health therapists are not just concerned about your bowel and bladder habits. Nope, we want to treat the whole person and sometimes that means asking a few personal things related to intercourse. So, if it is a concern that you have then we support your concern.

One concern with women is the lack of orgasm that can occur during intercourse. There are many factors that can play a role. Unfortunately, we aren’t going to dive into those factors during this post. Instead, we are going to talk about something that has been gaining traction over the past few years known as the “O-shot”. Recently, I have had a few clients ask about this procedure and I think it is worth the dialogue.

First, let’s discuss more about the “O-shot” and then I’ll give you my educated opinion based upon the information that we know. The “O-shot” is an injection that consists of platelet rich plasma (PRP), which is found in our blood, directly into the clitoris. Claims indicate that the shot enhances female orgasms. There are some instances where the shot is also recommended for incontinence and painful sex. Some women report that they notice changes and improvements following the procedure as well, but it is said that the results only last for up to a year.

You may be more familiar with the use of PRP for orthopedic related issues such as knee pain. It is likely that you have known someone who has experienced knee related pain and was offered PRP injections. Research indicates that PRP may offer a slight benefit over a placebo and hyaluric acid in relation to knee osteoarthritis; however, there is still a great deal of variability that is noted in the effectiveness and appropriate dosing.

Now, let’s move on to my educated opinion on the “O-shot”. Repeat after me, “Ouch” followed by “Why?”!

Let’s do a basic and quick anatomy lesson of the clitoris. The clitoris is a very sensitive region and known as a pleasure center during intercourse for females. Why is the clitoris so sensitive? Well, it may have something to do with the dense nerve presence. Ladies, there is a higher nerve presence at the clitoris compared to the tongue and fingers. So yes, it is a very sensitive area and made solely for pleasure. Knowing what you know now about the level of sensitivity of the clitoris, can you understand my first reaction of “Ouch”? Despite, knowing this information it is said that the “O-shot” is not painful when administered which can be attributed to the numbing agents used.

Currently, there is no high-level evidence that supports the use of the “O-shot” and it appears to mainly be based upon individual claims. So, what do we actually know about the “O-shot”? Not much, but I’ll let you decide based upon these quick three points.

1.       It is not supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Because of previous issues that directly related to credibility of the physician who created of the “O-shot”, he is not eligible to submit any research for consideration of FDA approval.
2.       There is no high-level evidence or research that supports the claims made including improvements in orgasm, incontinence, and pain with sex. Dr. Jen Gunter, the author of the Vagina Bible, has repeatedly shed light on the lack of evidence and has indicated that the “O-shot” currently has no scientific backing. In 2014, the founder of the “O-shot” performed a pilot study with only 11 participants. His study did not have a control group for comparison, and the study was never peer reviewed. The study supposedly found that majority of women had improvements, and then the study concludes by mentioning that a placebo effect should be considered when noting their results. Also, the study indicates that 2 of the women experienced increased distress following the treatment. Considering the study size was so small, those 2 women indicate that almost 20% of their participants had adverse effects. Yes, that means approximately 1 out of every 5. Yikes!
3.       Lastly, the development of the “O-shot” is a bit controversial. In an article found in The Guardian written by Kathleen Hale, the creator of the “O-shot” admitted to injecting his own penis and then at the request of his partner, drew her blood and injected her clitoris with the PRP from it. With the lack of scientific backing, questions of ethics should arise as to whether or not this was appropriate to perform. And, nonetheless on a sexual partner.

I cannot deny that some women report that they have experienced relief of annoying symptoms and/or increased orgasms because that would be discounting someone’s personal experience. I can however tell you that this is a procedure that I will not be recommending to my clients until we have supporting evidence based upon properly conducted clinical trials.

So, ladies if you want a better orgasm, improvements in incontinence, or painless intercourse start your journey by seeing a pelvic physical therapist. There are a lot of ways in which a pelvic physical therapist can help you gain improvements in these areas. Plus, the treatment we offer is evidenced based and research supported.

References

Filardo G, Previtali D, Napoli F, Candrian C, Zaffagnini S, Grassi A. PRP Injections for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Cartilage. 2021;13(1_suppl):364S-375S. doi:10.1177/1947603520931170

Gunter, J. (2017, November 26). The troubling backstory behind the o-shot. Dr Jen Gunter. https://drjengunter.com/2017/11/26/the-troubling-backstory-behind-the-o-shot/

Hale, K. (2016, September 15). Dr Orgasm will see you now: is the shot what women need for better sex? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/sep/15/dr-charles-runels-o-shot-women-orgasm-sexual-cure

O’Connell, B., Wragg, N.M. & Wilson, S.L. The use of PRP injections in the management of knee osteoarthritis. Cell Tissue Res 376, 143–152 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00441-019-02996-x

What to know about the o-shot. (2019, November 24). Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/o-shot#uses-and-research