Yes! It's the orgasmatron

Meg Ryan was famously able to fake it in When Harry Met Sally but scientists now claim they have invented an "orgasmatron".

The electronic implant, said to be able to cause instant sexual arousal in women at the flick of a switch, has been tentatively tested on a handful of women with ecstatic results.

One of them has now completed the first stage of a study, having agreed to have wires from an external device inserted into her spinal cord.

The married woman, who responded to an advertisement, underwent the procedure in October. "When the device was switched on, the patient reported being almost instantly aroused," said Dr Stuart Meloy, the surgeon who patented the treatment.

"She described it as 'really excellent foreplay'."

The woman, who had not had an orgasm for four years, wore the device for nine days and had sex with her husband on seven occasions. Dr Meloy said that the woman had an orgasm every time - and even experienced her first multiple orgasm.

The procedure is no riskier than an epidural, according to Dr Meloy, a pain consultant from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In the second stage of the study, a remote-controlled device resembling a pacemaker will be implanted beneath the skin.

Dr Meloy stumbled on the idea while performing routine painrelieving surgery on a woman.

During the operation, two electrodes were inserted into the patient's spine and tiny pulses of electricity applied. The patient was kept conscious.

At one point, the woman began crying out ecstatically. When Dr Meloy asked her what was happening, she replied: "You're going to have to teach my husband to do that."

New Scientist magazine reported today, however, that volunteers for the study are in short supply. Dr Meloy, the surgeon who patented the treatment, said: "I thought people would be beating my door down to become part of the trial, but so far I am struggling to find them."

The effect had been seen before by other surgeons performing similar operations but Dr Meloy patented the idea of using it to treat sexual dysfunction. He expects a full implant to cost around £7,600.

The device was nicknamed the "orgasmatron" after the machine in the 1968 movie Barbarella, starring Jane Fonda. Woody Allen also famously invented a device for his 1973 comedy Sleeper.

Some experts believe an implant is too radical a treatment for sexual problems. Paula Hall, a sex therapist with the counselling service Relate, said most cases of sexual dysfunction were caused by psychological factors.

"Lack of self-awareness and not experimenting enough are the most common reasons," she said. "In situations where all else has failed, some people might consider having an operation, but I don't think it is going to catch on."