Every year, it is estimated that 40% of women have suffered from sexual problems. Whilst physical wellness factors may be responsible, more often than not female sexual dysfunction is due to problems with your mental wellbeing. Female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) is the female equivalent of impotence, and is actually a lot more probable than you may think.
Whether you’re a man or a woman, when you become sexually aroused, your genitals become engorged with blood. In women, this means that your clitoris and surrounding tissues become enlarged (which is comparable to a male erection). You also tend to secrete vaginal lubrication, and your vaginal opening also relaxes and widens, permitting intercourse to occur. However, though FSAD patients have the desire to have sex, their genital area fails to respond in the normal way, and this makes sex painful or impossible.
An underlying medical condition, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, can cause FSAD, as well as irritations, infections and growths in the vaginal area, or reactions to contraceptive devices. You may also experience female sexual dysfunction if you take certain medications for high blood pressure, peptic ulcers, depression, anxiety or cancer. The physical, hormonal and emotional changes that occur during or after pregnancy, while breastfeeding or, very importantly, during and after menopause, can also be a factor.
When it comes to psychological causes, FSAD can occur due to inadequate or ineffective foreplay, depression, poor self-esteem, sexual abuse, feelings of shame or guilt about sex, fear of pregnancy, stress and fatigue. Whatever the cause, female sexual dysfunction can lead to certain symptoms such as a lack of sexual desire, an inability to enjoy sex, insufficient vaginal lubrication or a failure to achieve an orgasm even if sexually aroused. This is the case for women who suffer from female orgasmic disorder (FOD), as this is categorised as being unable to achieve orgasm despite being sufficiently aroused to have sex.
Unlike men, the female orgasm is a learned, not automatic, response, and roughly five to 10% of women have a condition called anorgasmia, meaning they never have an orgasm through any type of sexual activity. Most often the result of sexual inexperience, performance anxiety or past experiences, such as sexual trauma or a strict upbringing, anorgasmia is an inhibition of sexual response. This doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot enjoy sexual activity, but this and FOD is a problem if it has a negative effect on your satisfaction or your partner’s.
If you think you may be experiencing female sexual dysfunction, Viagra, testosterone, kegel exercises and lubricants have been suggested to help. Psychological counselling can also play an important part in treating women with sexual problems, as well as coaching in sexual foreplay and stimulation techniques. Consult your doctor or look online for more information.
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