Having female sexual dysfunction can be devastating for some women. Inadequate sexual function in women can be a complex problem that can have many different causes. An estimated 40% of women suffer from sexual dysfunction due to a variety of causes including any physical illness and/or call psychological factors. This condition mainly affects a woman’s sexual health and has symptoms including lack of sexual desire, inability to enjoy sex, insufficient vaginal lubrication, and even failure to have an orgasm.
Also known as Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD), this condition still makes women psychologically desire for sex, but their genital area fails to respond normally, making it painful or impossible to have sex. When men and women normally get aroused, their genitals become engorged with blood. For women, this results in the enlargement of the clitoris and surrounding tissues (comparable to a male erection), secretion of vaginal lubrication, and relaxation and widening of the vaginal opening for intercourse.
A woman’s sexual health is affected by many other health conditions including:
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Vaginal irritation, infection, and growth
• Negative physiological reaction to certain birth control methods.
• Medications used to treat high blood pressure, peptic ulcers, depression, anxiety, or cancer.
• Physical, hormonal, or emotional changes that occur during or after pregnancy, or while breast-feeding.
• Depression
• Poor self-esteem
• Sexual abuse
• Fear of pregnancy
• Inadequate or ineffective foreplay
• Feelings of shame or guilt about sex
• Stress and fatigue
Treatment of FSAD includes
• Eliminating medications that might harm a woman’s sexual health.
• Vaginal lubricants
• Kegel Exercises
• Psychological counseling can also play an integral role
• Coaching in sexual foreplay as well as stimulation techniques
Consulting your physician may be the best way to know more about FSAD. Constant check-up sessions with the physician or gynecologist will also help women prevent or address such a frustrating sexual condition.
