MRI of female genital and pelvicorgans during sexual arousal

D. D. Suh, C. C. Yang, Y. Cao, J. R. Heiman, P. A. Garland and K. R. Maravilla

We utilized contrast enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to delineate theanatomy of the female genital and pelvic organs during sexual arousal.Eleven healthy pre-menopausal women and eight healthy post-menopausalwomen underwent MRI of the pelvis while watching an erotic video. A 1.5 Tesla MR system was used to produce T1-weighted images following administration of MS-325, a gadolinium-based blood pool contrast agent. Selected structuraldimensions and enhancement were measured prior to and during sexual arousal.In both pre- and post-menopausal subjects, vestibular bulb and labia minorawidth increased with arousal. Enhancement measurements increased in the bulb,labia minora and clitoris in both pre- and post-menopausal subjects, and in thevagina in pre-menopausal subjects. There were no marked changes in size or enhancement of the labia majora, urethra, cervix, or rectum during sexual arousalin pre- or post-menopausal subjects.Using MRI, we observed specific changes in the female genitalia and pelvic organs with sexual arousal, in both pre- and post-menopausal women. MRI can potentially provide detailed anatomical information in the assessment of female sexual function, particularly with regard to changes in blood flow.

Key words: female genitalia, magnetic resonance imaging, pelvic anatomy,sexual arousal

INTRODUCTION

Female sexual dysfunction affects a largepercentage of women

1,2

and is associatedwith poor quality of life. There has been adearth of research in the physiology of thefemale sexual response and female genitalanatomy

, but there is growing interest inthis area. Research has been limited by thelack of easily recognizable physical changesduring sexual arousal, the inability toobjectively measure genital structuresnon-invasively and without distortion,and the lack of a universally accepted testthat can assess degrees of sexual function-ing

3–5

.With its excellent resolution of softtissues and its ability to show multiplanarviews, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)technology has been utilized in the study of the female pelvic floor and pelvic organs

6–10

.Similarly, MRI is an excellent method of studying genital anatomy

. Unlike cadaverdissections or studies that require distortingprobes or specula, the organs remain in theirorthotopic positions with MRI and are notaltered or destroyed by dissection. The aimof this study was to describe anatomicchanges in the female genital and pelvicorgans during sexual arousal using currentMRI technology and MS-325, a gadolinium-based blood pool contrast agent (EPIXMedical, Cambridge, MA). This study waspart of a larger investigation to determinethe feasibility of MRI with MS-325 in healthywomen during sexual arousal; Deliganis

et al

*D. D. Suh

and

C. C. Yang,

Department of Urology,

Y. Cao, P. A Garland

and

K. R. Maravilla,

Department of Radiology,University of Washington,Seattle, WA 98195-6510,USA,

J. R. Heiman,

KinseyInstitute for Research in Sex,Gender and Reproduction,Indiana University,Bloomington, IN 47405-3700, USA

*Correspondence to: C. C. Yang, University of Washington, Department of Urology, Box 356510, 1959 N.E. Pacific Street,Seattle, WA 98195-6510, USA. Email: cyang@u.washington.edu

J Psychosom Obstet Gynecol 2004;25:153–162

June 2004

2004, Parthenon Publishing. A member of the Taylor & Francis Group

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DOI: 10.1080/01674820400002220

reported preliminary data using this techni-que

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Eleven healthy pre-menopausal women be-tween the ages of 21 and 39 years (mean age30.3 years), and eight healthy post-meno-pausal women between the ages of 40 and 65years (mean age 56.4 years) participated inthis study. All signed an informed consentapproved by the Human Subjects ReviewCommittee of our hospital. These subjectsunderwent screening history and physicalexamination, pelvic examination and PAPsmear. Pre-menopausal women took a preg-nancy test.Exclusion criteria for the study includedthe use of estrogen or hormonal medica-tions, acute or chronic medical conditions,history of sexual dysfunction, psychologicalor social conditions that might affect parti-cipation in the study, history of currentpregnancy or delivery within the last 12months, history of hysterectomy or vaginalsurgery, gynecological disease or malig-nancy, known anatomic abnormalities of the genitalia (including pelvic floor pro-lapse) and pelvic inflammatory disease orvaginal infection.All subjects underwent MRI prior to,during, and following viewing of an eroticvideo. The subjects viewed the video on afiberoptic display while in the MRI scanner.Prior to and following the MRI session, eachsubject completed a written questionnaireassessing her subjective level of sexualarousal.

Imaging technique

A GE Signa Horizon Echo Speed 1.5 Teslasystem (General Electric Medical Systems,Waukesha, WI) was used for all MRI studies.Specially designed phased-array (PA) coilsbuilt in our laboratory were utilized forimaging of the pelvis. A 10 cm PA coil wasplaced anterior to the pubic symphysis anda larger two coil PA receiver was placedposterior to the pelvis. Subjects were imagedusing a T1-weighted fast, three-dimensionalspoiled gradient recalled echo pulse se-quence, acquired in an axial orientation.Voxel size measured approximately0.9

0.9

2 mm for a total voxel volumeof 1.6 cubic mm. A set of baseline imageswas obtained prior to injection of contrast.Intravenous contrast injection of 0.05 mmol/kg of MS-325 was followed bya 3 min delay for contrast level equilibra-tion. Serial post-contrast images wereobtained prior to, during, and followingviewing of an erotic video.Using the MRI console, one investigator(D. S.), who was blinded to the subjects’demographic and medical data, measuredstructural dimensions and enhancement.Measurements of the labia majora andminora were made at the level of the vaginalintroitus. Labia majora height was measuredfrom the junction of the labia majora andmedial thigh to the anterior margin of thelabia majora. Labia majora width was mea-sured between the lateral margins of thelabia majora. Measurements of the clitorisand vestibular bulbs were made at the levelof greatest prominence of the clitoral body,which was at the level of the ischialtuberosity. Measurements of the urethra,vagina and rectum were made at the levelof the pubic symphysis. Vaginal canal lengthwas calculated by multiplying the number of image slices from the introitus to the cervixby 2 (2 mm distance between slices). Struc-tural measurements were made in two-dimensions instead of three-dimensions be-cause it is more commonly used in clinicalpractice. Additionally, of all the pelvicstructures examined, only the clitoris haddistinct borders measurable in three- dimen-sions.Because signal intensity in MRI is notstandardized against a fixed reference (as incomputed tomography), we expressed en-hancement as a percentage change from pre-contrast signal intensity, calculated by usingthe following formula:% change=100

[SI

structure

(t)

structure

)]/SI

structure

)where SI(t) refers to signal intensity measure-ment of the structure at time (t) post-contrast injection and SI(t

) refersto signal intensity measurement of thestructure pre-contrast. Post-contrast mea-surements in the non-aroused state weremade using images taken approximately9 min following administration of con-trast, to allow for sufficient equilibration of contrast distribution. Post-contrast measure-ments during the sexually aroused state weremade using images taken approximately9 min into the erotic video to allow ade-quate time for sexual arousal. PairedStudent’s

test was used to compare struc-tural and enchancement changes witharousal.

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RESULTS

All 19 subjects experienced sexual arousalduring viewing of the erotic video based onquestionnaire results; on a scale of 1 (‘not atall’ sexually aroused) to 7 (‘intensely’ sexu-ally aroused), mean questionnaire score was1(SD=0) prior to the video and 4 (SD=1.4)during the video. All subjects displayedpoor visualization or non-visualization of genital structures on the T1-weightedimages prior to contrast injection. Allshowed excellent visualization of genitaland pelvic anatomy on the T1 post-MS325images. There was considerable enhance-ment of the labia, vestibular bulbs, clitoris,urethra, vagina, cervix and rectum com-pared to pre-contrast baseline images.Optimal contrast enhancement occurred at6–9 min post-injection and this high levelof enhancement and anatomic delineationpersisted for the entire 45 minute imagingsession.

Labia

There were no discernable changes in thesize or shape of the labia majora between theneutral and aroused state in pre- and post-menopausal women (Figures 1 and 2). Labiaminora width and enhancement increasedduring arousal in pre- and post-menopausalwomen (Tables 1–4). There were no changesin the relationships between the labia ma-jora and minora, or between the labia andthe surrounding structures during sexualarousal in either pre- or post-menopausalsubjects.

Bartholin’s glands

The Bartholin’s glands were well-visualized(Figures 1 and 3). They are pea-shapedstructures imbedded in the soft tissue of the posterolateral introitus, at the posterioraspect of the labia majora. There were nodistinct changes in shape, position or en-hancement of the Bartholin’s glandsbetween the neutral and aroused states ineither pre- or post-menopausal subjects.

Vestibular bulbs

The bulbs are oblong-shaped structures oneither side of the midline, positioned justposterior to the clitoral bodies. They have aslight convexity in the center, and trackalongside the clitoral crura. The two bulbsconvened anteriorly in the midline at thecommissure, where they appeared to beinseparable from the clitoris. We observedan increase in the measured width andenhancement of the bulbs in the arousedstate in pre- and post-menopausal subjects(Tables 1–4). The shape of the bulb and itsrelation to the clitoris did not change in theimages prior to and during arousal in pre-and post-menopausal women (Figures 1 and3).

Clitoris

The clitoris is comprised of two elongatedbodies that track along the ischial rami,convene in the midline and extend slightlyaway from the body to end in the roundedglans (Figures 1 and 3). Clitoral body widthdid not increase in pre- or post-menopausalwomen during sexual arousal (Tables 1 and3). There were large increases in enhance-ment of the clitoris during the arousedstate in both pre- and post-menopausalsubjects (Tables 2 and 4). We did notobserve any changes in clitoral shape orrelationship to the surrounding structures(e.g. urethra, bulbs and ischial rami) duringarousal.

Urethra/bladder

Urethral diameter and enhancement mea-surements did not differ markedly betweenthe neutral and aroused states in pre- andpost-menopausal subjects. The shape of theurethra and bladder base did not changeduring arousal (Figures 1 and 4). Bladdercontents had a higher signal intensity in thearousal images but this was attributed to agreater amount of contrast excreted in theurine by that time, and was not consideredto be a change due to sexual arousal

per se

(Figure 1). We did not observe any changesin the anterior vagina and urethra, where theGrafenberg spot (G-spot) is purported tobe

12,13

Vagina

Measurements of vaginal width, wall thick-ness and canal length did not change witharousal in both pre- and post-menopausalgroups (Tables 1 and 3). Vaginal wallenhancement increased with arousal onlyin pre-menopausal subjects. In the pre-menopausal subjects there were numerousinfoldings of the vaginal mucosa (rugae),

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