{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,13]],"date-time":"2026-08-13T19:33:57Z","timestamp":1786649637270,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,1]],"date-time":"2026-04-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1775001600000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>Persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD) is a distressing, often debilitating condition of unwanted genital arousal occurring independent of desire and difficult to relieve, with substantial psychosocial burden. We systematically reviewed peer-reviewed studies (2015\u20132025) to synthesize the evidence for diagnosis, etiology, and treatment. PubMed, Ovid (MEDLINE\/Embase), and CINAHL (English-language, human studies; last searched on August 31, 2025) were searched. Two reviewers independently screened the records and extracted data, with disagreements resolved by the consensus and third-reviewer adjudication. Risk of bias was assessed using ROBINS-I for comparative observational studies and Joanna Briggs Institute tools for case series. The findings were synthesized narratively in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis 2020. The review protocol was registered prospectively in PROSPERO (CRD420251108714). Of 799 records identified, 56 duplicates were removed; 743 titles\/abstracts were screened, 197 full texts were assessed, and 14 studies were included. Eligible designs comprised cross-sectional surveys, case\u2013control\/cohort studies, case series \u22653 patients, and one clinical review with embedded cases; no randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified. Owing to clinical and methodological heterogeneity, meta-analysis was not performed. Participants were predominantly women. Diagnostic practice was inconsistent: Most used symptom-based criteria aligned to International Society for the Study of Women\u2019s Sexual Health or Leiblum\u2013Nathan frameworks, variably combined with targeted imaging, neurophysiology, or small-fiber testing. Etiologic signals most often implicated neuropathic\/structural mechanisms \u2013 sacral radiculopathy, Tarlov cysts, and pudendal or small-fiber neuropathy \u2013 alongside central neurobiological and psychosocial contributors. Interventions included pelvic-floor physiotherapy, cognitive-behavioral approaches, pharmacologic agents (e.g., gabapentinoids and benzodiazepines), neuromodulation, and selected surgical decompressions for defined lesions; outcomes were mixed and follow-up\/safety reporting limited. Overall, PGAD appears multifactorial and under-standardized in assessment. It should be prioritized to include a consensus, multimodal diagnostic pathway and prospective, comparative studies using validated patient-reported outcomes to inform individualized, evidence-based care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4103\/ua.ua_157_25","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]],"date-time":"2026-04-10T14:00:21Z","timestamp":1775829621000},"page":"95-105","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Persistent genital arousal disorder: A systematic review of diagnosis, etiology, and treatment approaches (2015\u20132025)"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Prasenjit","family":"Bhowmik","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muhammad Umair","family":"Shafiq","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Layla","family":"Sultan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mustafa","family":"Ahmad","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdulla Khaleel","family":"Alawadi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sachin","family":"Yallappa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Urology, Heartlands Hospital, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1-20260415","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"365","DOI":"10.1080\/009262301317081115","article-title":"Persistent sexual arousal syndrome: A newly discovered pattern of female sexuality","volume":"27","author":"Leiblum","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Sex Marital Ther"},{"key":"R2-20260415","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"325","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1743-6109.2010.02079.x","article-title":"Stronger evidence for small fiber sensory neuropathy in restless genital syndrome: Two case reports in males","volume":"8","author":"Waldinger","year":"2011","journal-title":"J Sex 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