The conversation around sexual dysfunction usually revolves around male problems, but not much has been said about female sexual dysfunction. This isn’t because sex is usually smooth sailing for women—far from it. Around 30% of women have trouble reaching orgasm when having sex, according to statistics from Planned Parenthood.
That’s why the O Shot is so revolutionary. Invented by Alabama-based Dr. Charles Runels (also the inventor of the now-infamous “vampire facial”) in 2009 and trademarked in 2011, the procedure is supposed to help women climax, The Guardian reports.
The procedure involves extracting platelet-rich plasma from a woman’s blood and injecting it into the clitoris and the ceiling of her vagina. This is said to increase lubrication and sensitivity, helping her achieve orgasm.
More than 20,000 women have gotten the O Shot. The price of the procedure ranges from US$1,000-$1,500, and only Runels and the 500+ certified practitioners he has trained can perform the treatment.
The procedure remains highly contested in the medical community. Plenty of medical practitioners have dismissed the procedure’s said successes as mere placebo, though most of his patients swear on its effectivity.
Though the procedure hasn’t been adequately tested nor approved by the FDA, Runels boasts of an 85% success rate that has helped patients with “incontinence and pain during sex caused by anything ranging from scarring after childbirth, to post-radiation dryness and even female genital mutilation (FGM)”.
“It’s time for us to quit avoiding the subject of a woman’s sexual function”
Photo: Dreamstime
At the very least, Runels is opening the dialogue on female sexual dysfunction—that it is a problem, and that it does need to be addressed.
“Only 14% of women in their whole lifetime will ever have a conversation with their doctor about sex,” he said, “and if she brings up the subject, most times the doctor will change the subject after the first question. It’s time for us to quit avoiding the subject of a woman’s sexual function, and actually start thinking about how the system of her sexuality might work.”
“It’s not about him, it’s about us,” Dr. Carolyn A. DeLucia told Elite Daily. “It’s mostly about returning to function. It’s about being comfortable in our everyday lives and intimacy is an important part of that.”