Platelet Rich Plasma Treatment for Sexual Dysfunction

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a novel treatment modality involving the use of elements from a person’s own blood to promote healing and rejuvenate certain areas of the body. Although it has been used to treat sports injuries for years, it was recently put in the spotlight by Kim Kardashian who had the so-called “Vampire Facial” where the platelet rich plasma is injected into the face to make you look younger. PRP has gained popularity in sexual medicine, with what is known as the “O-shot” or “P-shot”. These “shots” are advertised to enhance sexual function – to make the penis bigger and more sensitive and to make the female genitalia more sensitive and enhance orgasm. PRP has been widely researched and has proven to be successful in treating the following conditions:

• Lichen Sclerosis
• Incontinence
• Decreased Vaginal or Penile Sensitivity (with difficulty to orgasm)
• Small Penis
• Erectile Dysfunction
• Peyronie’s Disease

Patients suffering from these conditions can make an appointment for an initial evaluation. We do not offer the product to any patient who has not been consulted and evaluated for its suitability. You can request a thirty-minute appointment and state that it is for a PRP evaluation. Once you have been fully informed about the procedure, as well as other treatment options available for your condition, an appointment will be scheduled for the procedure. You will arrive thirty minutes before your appointment with the doctor. A nursing sister will take a blood sample from you. Two big ampules are filled with blood and then spun down in a centrifuge. During this process, the platelet rich plasma gets separated from the rest of the cells. The trained nursing sister then extracts the PRP and activates it by adding chemicals. The PRP is then prepared in a sterile syringe, for the doctor to be used during the procedure. You will be offered a very potent local anesthetic cream that you have to apply to your genital area as soon as your blood sample has been taken. This cream is usually sufficient as an anesthetic, but we do also offer conscious sedation (where a light anesthetic is administered through a drip by another doctor), or a ring block of the penis for men. This will be discussed with you during your first consultation. The doctor will prepare the area by cleaning it with a disinfectant. The PRP is then administered by multiple injections using a very small needle. The areas that will be injected will also be discussed with you during the first consultation. In women, it might include the clitoris, around the vaginal opening, the labia and in the area of the G-spot. In men it might include the carona (ring around the head and specifically the frenulum) of the penis, the head and the shaft. The procedure takes only a few minutes and you will be able to go back to work or resume your daily activities if you did not receive conscious sedation. The risks involved in PRP are minimal. It is still seen as an experimental treatment when it comes to sexual health related issues. No serious adverse events have been reported in the literature. Any injection can cause bleeding and infection. You will be observed for bleeding after the procedure and advised to report any sings of infection. The procedure will not be performed in patients with active, untreated infections. We can also not perform the procedure on patients who are taking blood thinners as there might be an increased risk of bleeding. One of the complications that have been reported anecdotally, is unwanted orgasms by women. A prolonged erection in men is also a theoretical risk. Men with erections lasting longer than four hours, should report to casualties. Women with unwanted orgasms or any other complications in men and women, should inform the doctor who performed the procedure immediately. We now have the facilities at the Bryanston practice to offer PRP to patients. Patients are required to first book a consultation in order to evaluate them for the appropriateness of the procedure. To book your consultation, please phone 086 7272 950. Please state that it is for a PRP evaluation. When you then book the actual procedure, make sure you mention that it is for PRP and find out exactly what time you will see the nurse and what time you will see the doctor. If you decide to use conscious sedation, please also inform the receptionist in order to book the second doctor who will be performing the conscious sedation.

Article written by Dr Elna Rudolph – Medical Doctor, Sexologist and Clinical Head of My Sexual Health. 086 7272950 www.DrElnaRudolph.co.za www.mysexualhealth.co.za

If you would like to book a consultation to find out more about the procedure you can do so below: