Female Sexual Dysfunction: Treatment for Women's Sexual Disorders Sexual Dysfunction is Common ( COURTECY;- MEDICINE .COM )
Female Sexual Dysfunction: Treatment for Women's Sexual Disorders
Sexual Dysfunction is Common
Sexual dysfunction is a common concern shared by many women. Problems may occur during any phase of the sexual response cycle (excitement, plateau, orgasm, and resolution) that prevent a woman from experiencing sexual satisfaction. Many women are reluctant or embarrassed to discuss their sexual problems, but it's important to tell your doctor what you are experiencing since most cases of sexual dysfunction can be treated.
What Causes Female Sexual Problems?
Sexual dysfunction can have physical or psychological causes. Physical causes include diabetes, heart disease, neurological diseases, hormonal imbalances, menopause, chronic diseases such as kidney disease or liver failure, alcoholism, drug abuse, and side effects of medications, including antidepressant drugs. Psychological causes of sexual dysfunction can include stress, anxiety, concerns about sexual performance, relationship problems, depression, feelings of guilt, and effects of a past sexual trauma.
Who Is Affected by Sexual Problems?
Men and women can be affected by sexual dysfunction. Seniors may be affected more often, possibly due to health-related declines associated with aging.
How Do Sexual Problems Affect Women?
Common types of sexual dysfunction in women include:
- Inhibited sexual desire
- Inability to become aroused
- Lack of orgasm (anorgasmia)
- Painful intercourse
These will be discussed on the following slides.
Inhibited Sexual Desire
Lack of sexual desire or lack of interest in sex is inhibited sexual desire. This can have many causes, including hormonal changes, certain medical conditions and treatments, depression, pregnancy, stress, fatigue, lifestyle influences such as work stress or child care, and even boredom with regular sexual routines.
Inability to Become Aroused
Insufficient vaginal lubrication in women may trigger the inability to become physically aroused during sexual activity. An inability to be aroused may also result from anxiety, or inadequate sexual stimulation. Blood flow problems to the vagina and clitoris may also affect lubrication and arousal.
Lack of Orgasm (Anorgasmia)
The absence of sexual climax (orgasm) is called anorgasmia. Many factors can contribute to anorgasmia, including sexual inhibition, inexperience, or lack of knowledge. Psychological contributors to anorgasmia may include guilt, anxiety, or a past sexual trauma or abuse. Insufficient stimulation, drugs or medications, and chronic diseases can also result in lack of orgasm.
Painful Intercourse
Painful intercourse can be a result of a number of conditions such as endometriosis, a pelvic mass, ovarian cysts, vaginitis, poor lubrication, vaginal dryness, the presence of scar tissue from surgery, or a sexually transmitted disease. A painful, involuntary spasm of the muscles that surround the vaginal entrance is a condition called vaginismus that may occur in women who fear penetration will be painful, have sexual phobias, or previous traumatic or painful sexual experiences.
How Is a Female Sexual Problem Diagnosed?
Sexual dysfunction in women is diagnosed by a physical exam and symptom history. The doctor will probably perform a pelvic exam with a Pap smear to check for cancer. Other tests may be ordered to rule out medical conditions that may cause sexual dysfunction. You may also be asked about attitudes toward sex, past sexual trauma or abuse, problems in your relationship, or alcohol and drug abuse to help determine if these psychological factors contribute to the dysfunction.
How Are Female Sexual Problems Treated?
Many types of sexual problems can be treated by addressing the underlying physical or psychological problems. Usually it involves cooperation between the woman, her doctors, and therapists.
Treatment strategies are discussed on the following slides.
Providing Education
Patient education is important to help women overcome anxiety about sexual function and performance. Learning about sexual behaviors and normal responses may ease anxiety.
Enhancing Sexual Stimulation
It may be necessary to enhance sexual stimulation to help a woman overcome some sexual dysfunction. Masturbation, changing your sexual routine, or use of erotic videos or books may help.
Providing Distraction Techniques
Anxiety may be alleviated with distraction. Erotic or non-erotic fantasies can be useful. Music, videos, or television can also distract and help women relax.
Encouraging Non-Coital Behaviors
Other behaviors that do not involve intercourse such as sensual massage may help a women feel more comfortable with her sexuality and with intercourse, and feel less pressure and anxiety surrounding sexual activity.
Minimizing Pain
If sexual dysfunction is due to pain, sometimes changing sexual positions may help minimize or eliminate the pain. Vaginal lubricants may relieve pain caused by friction, and relaxation before intercourse (warm bath, meditation) may decrease pain responses.
Can Sexual Problems Be Cured?
The prognosis for treating sexual dysfunction in women depends on whether the underlying cause can be treated. If sexual dysfunction is related to a treatable physical condition, the outcome is often positive. When dysfunction is due to psychological causes, it can often be treated successfully with counseling, education, and improved communication between partners.
How Do Hormones Affect Sexual Function?
Hormones play a large role in sexual function in women. As women age, the hormone estrogen decreases, which can lead to poor vaginal lubrication and decreased genital sensation. Low levels of the male hormone testosterone in women may also contribute to less sexual arousal, genital sensation, and orgasm.
What Effect Does a Hysterectomy Have on Sexual Function?
A hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus) may cause sexual dysfunction in many women. Hormonal changes associated with removal of the ovaries may result in loss of desire, decreased vaginal lubrication, and genital sensation. Nerves and blood vessels integral to sexual functioning may also be damaged during the surgery. Finally, some women may become depressed or feel a loss of self-esteem from their uterus being removed that may make it hard for them to engage sexually following the procedure.
How Does Menopause Affect a Woman's Sexual Function?
Menopause and the associated loss of estrogen can affect women's sexual function such as a loss of vaginal lubrication and genital sensation. Other emotional aspects of menopause may contribute to a loss of interest in sex or an inability to become aroused.
However, many postmenopausal women have increased sexual satisfaction. This is thought to be due to less anxiety about getting pregnant, or having the time to relax and enjoy being intimate with their partners.
When Should I Call my Doctor About Sexual Problems?
Sexual problems in women are common, and nearly every woman will experience them on occasion. If the problems persist, they can be very upsetting for a woman and can affect her relationship with her partner. If you experience any sexual problems on a regular basis, talk to your doctor. Help is available!
Reviewed by Wayne Blocker, MD on 6/1/2016
This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information:
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Sex Tips for Men: How to Have a Better Sex Life
Was It Good For You?
In the movies, sex always looks great. But if you're like a lot of men, sex may not be as good as you think it could be. You might feel anxiety, concerns about your performance, or even self-consciousness about your body. No matter what the scenario, it just feels like you're not having sex as often as everyone else.
How's Your Sex Life?
An Ohio State University study found young men think about sex about 19 times per day (as compared to young women who think about it 10 times daily). Despite it being on men's minds much of the time, men still remain confused about what great sex is, and how to have it. Men face both mental barriers and physical barriers to great sex. They may be plagued with self-doubt, and cling to myths and misperceptions about sex. Physically, many men could use some work on the mechanics of lovemaking.
What Is Great Sex?
"Great sex is in the eye of the beholder, or the be-hander," says Patti Britton, a clinical sexologist and author of The Art of Sex Coaching. "For some men, it might be the ability to produce fantabulous multiple orgasms in their partner. For other men, it might mean being able to last three minutes. Being a great lover means becoming a great lover to your particular partner, and that requires doing something very difficult: opening your mouth."
Men may talk a good game when it comes to sex, but most don't think the sex they have is as good as it could be. The following slides are a guide to great sex, with six tips for more sexual pleasure.
Great Sex Tip 1: Take Up Pillow Talk
Pillow talk is important. Aside from kissing and other sexual activities, men can use their mouths for talking to their partner about what they want, and what their partner likes. It's about being open and trusting.
"If you get to know yourself and your partner, you’ll have a much more erotic and explosive sexual relationship," says Joy Davidson, a New York-based psychologist and sexologist, and the author of Fearless Sex.
Great Sex Tip 2: Don't Believe Locker Room Talk
Men may brag to friends and exaggerate the frequency of their sexual activity, but unlike women, men are less likely to talk about insecurities they have surrounding sex. The result is that men create distorted pictures of sexual frequency and prowess for themselves and one another.
According to Michael Castleman, a San Francisco-based sex expert and author of Great Sex: A Man’s Guide to the Secret Principles of Total-Body Sex, the average frequency of sex in committed long-term relationships is roughly once every 10 days.
"A lot of men wind up thinking that their sex life is missing something, that other men are having wilder sex or more frequent sex," Davidson says. "They have a sense that the pleasure ship has sailed and left them behind."
Great Sex Tip 3: Don't Compare Your Sex Life With Porn
Unfortunately, men may learn a lot of what they know about sex from pornography. The problem with that is women and men who appear in porn are often in great physical shape. Both women and men are well-endowed, which can create unrealistic expectations.
"One of the most destructive myths of porn is that it convinces so many guys that they’re too small," Castleman says. "They forget that pornography is self-selecting... These are not average men. They’re the extreme end of the scale."
Other myths men may learn from pornography include the ideas that women are always ready for sex, that the same moves work on every partner all the time, and that sex always ends in orgasm.
Porn isn't all bad. It can give men ideas for sexual exporation and fun scenarios to enjoy withtheir partners, with a caveat: "As long as you’re aware that it’s not reality," Castleman says. "It’s like watching a car chase in an action movie. It’s exciting. It’s entertaining. But everyone knows it’s not the way to drive."
Great Sex Tip 4: Focus on Pleasurable Sensations
Stress, anxiety, and distractions can lead to less satisfying sex. Leave the stress of the job at work, and minimize your anxiety about your performance. "If we can quiet our monkey-minds, put a stop to that ceaseless inner-chatter, we can open ourselves up to better sex," Britton says.
She recommends that men adopt a mantra: FOPS, or Focus on Pleasurable Sensations. "There are techniques ranging from eye-gazing to massage and synchronized breathing that help keep you in the moment," Britton says. "Great sex happens in the present. It doesn’t happen in the future, like worrying about how quickly you’re going to come."
Great Sex Tip 5: Focus Less on Size and More on Other Matters
When it comes to penis size, men always hear that size doesn't matter to women. While this may be the case for most, it's not so much about having the biggest penis as it is fitting with your partner. "I’m not going to pretend it doesn't matter," Davidson says. "There are plenty of women for whom it absolutely does. But I prefer to focus on the idea of the right fit."
People come in all shapes and sizes and some fit better with each other. For many women, average sized men are the best fit. This is usually a matter of personal preference. However, it's not something to get caught up in and worry about. Focus on foreplay – kissing, caressing, and other ways of giving pleasure – can lead to satisfying sex for men and women of all shapes and sizes.
Don't forget to talk to your partner, too. "A lot of women are very responsive to a man’s voice during lovemaking," Davidson says. "If a man has verbal facility and can entice a woman through his voice that can become a powerful part of his repertoire."
Great Sex Tip 6: Schedule Sex...Really!
It may sound mundane to schedule sex, but it can actually make it more relaxing with both partners having more realistic expectations. "There’s this powerful mythology that says you should fall into each other’s arms spontaneously, with string music playing and the sun setting in the West, and if that doesn't happen there's something wrong with you," Castleman says. "Nonsense. Real life doesn't work that way."
Scheduling sex can also eliminate conflict over desire differences and remove the pressure to perform. "People say, 'What if I’m not in the mood?' Well, one of the things about relationships is that you sometimes make compromises. But what astonishes people once they start scheduling sex is that they can actually enjoy it," says Castleman.
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