An American study has shown that the renowned anti-impotency drug, Viagra, much-lauded by men, could also assist women who suffer from sexual dysfunction, according to a CNN report.

According to the report on the study – that was released this week at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association – 35 women aged 50 on average who had sexual difficulties after undergoing hysterectomy reported significant improvements after using Viagra.

The women apparently said they experienced increased lubrication, improved sensation and easier orgasm after taking Viagra for six weeks. The authors of the study maintain the drug works best in women whose sexual difficulties are the result of physical rather than emotional problems. Viagra increases blood flow to the genital area – an important part of female sexual arousal, according to the authors.

Viagra could be available for women within three years, the manufacturer Pfizer said today.

Studies suggest that the anti-impotency drug can help women who experience physical problems to enjoy sex more.

In particular, it could help post-menopausal women to restore their love life, and might even be given in combination with hormone replacement therapy to women in their fifties.

Dr Laura Berman, a psychologist who is carrying out a trial of the drug on 200 women at Boston University School of Medicine, said: "We're finding there's a statistically significant increase in sensation, the ability to become aroused and the ability to have an orgasm in the women we're treating."

However, women's sexual responses are more complicated than men's because they are far more influenced by psychological factors such as depression.

Dr Berman told BBC News 24: "Although there are anatomical parallels, and physiologically blood vessels and nerves respond in a similar fashion, the context in which women and men experience sexuality is completely different."

A trial involving 800 female patients across Europe is still under way, but Pfizer's medical director in New York, Dr Michael Sweeney, said preliminary results show the drug could be a major advance for women.

Up to 40 per cent of women are believed to suffer some form of sexual dysfunction, although it is thought the majority of these cases are linked to psychological states rather than physical difficulties.

The drug works by increasing the blood flow to the sexual organs, and could, therefore, heighten sensation for women in much the same way that it enables men to have an erection.

Dr Sweeney confirmed for the first time that it could be licensed for use by women in three years. "The science is still developing but I think we're looking at at least three or four years before it's officially on the market."

However, it is likely that, if Viagra is licensed for women, it would face the same tight restrictions on health service prescribing as it does for men. Only men with serious injuries or conditions can get the diamond-shaped pills on the NHS.

There have been numerous reports in the US of women taking one of their partner's Viagra pills to see what effect it has, but trials involving thousands of women would have to be completed before it would win a licence for them.

Making the drug available to women would open up an enormous market for the New York-based company. The drug is actually a British invention and is made at its base in Sandwich, Kent.

When Viagra was licensed in Britain last November, the predicted rush did not materialise. There has been a steady stream of men obtaining the pill through private prescriptions. Sales here in the past year have reached around £7 million.