INTRODUCTION: Persistent genital arousal disorder/genitopelvic dysesthesia (PGAD/GPD) is associated with poor quality of life. Due to social stigma and its heterogeneous nature, many patients suffer without treatment.
AIMS: This case presents the first example of the successful use of a glucagon-like peptide 1 and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor agonist (GLP1/GIP RA) medication for the treatment of PGAD/GPD.
METHODS: The patient was identified by the Sexual Medicine Research Team, retained as a patient at a sexual medicine clinic, and interviewed for the purposes of this case report.
RESULTS: This case presents a 44-year-old woman with a lifelong history of PGAD/GPD symptoms that caused extreme distress and depression who experienced 95% resolution of her symptoms within 2 days of starting tirzepatide, a GLP1/GIPRA medication, for weight loss.
CONCLUSION: Increasing benefits of GLP1/GIPRAs are being uncovered, and further studies must investigate the potential for these medications to be used in patients with PGAD/GPD. This study also provides a potential mechanism for decreased arousal resulting from GLP1/GIP receptor activation in attention/reward pathways in the brain.
Authors
Burr, Eliza; Roytman, Maya; Poirier, Évéline; Kolbuszewska, Marta; Pfaus, James G; Komisaruk, Barry R; Goldstein, Irwin; Rubin, Rachel