Female Sexual Dysfunction: Fast Facts
Reviewed By:
Steven A. King, M.D.
- According to the American Medical Association, approximately 43
percent of U.S. women (and 31 percent of men) have experienced some
form of sexual dysfunction at some time.
- Any persistent, pervasive problem that routinely interferes
with a woman's ability to achieve sexual gratification and causes
her distress is female sexual dysfunction.
- The normal stages of sexual response include excitement,
plateau, orgasm and resolution.
- Sexual desire disorders involve an absence of sexual fantasy or
desire.
- Sexual arousal disorders involve problems with any of body's
normal mechanisms of arousal, including the erection of nipples and
vaginal lubrication.
- Orgasmic disorders involve a lack or delay in orgasm.
- Sexual pain disorders involve any source of pain in the vagina,
clitoris or labia.
- Smoking and/or drinking alcohol can affect not only the
prognosis or treatment of a medical condition, but also your sexual
function.
- During menopause, sexual response and a general interest in sex
may diminish.
- Underlying medical and psychological conditions that can lead
to female sexual dysfunction include diabetes, heart disease,
endometriosis and arthritis.
- Sexual dysfunction may also occur due to a serious illness that
physically alters a woman's body and body image, such as breast or
gynecologic cancer.
- As many as half of all breast cancer patients experience some
form of long-term sexual difficulties, according to the National
Cancer Institute.
- Following a diagnosis of cancer or chronic disease, it is
normal for a woman to experience anxieties that can impede her
ability to express her sexuality and trigger concerns about her
sexual desirability.
- Hormonal changes, often related to pregnancy, menopause or
female cancers, can lead to vaginal dryness or vaginal atrophy, in
which the shape and flexibility of the vagina gradually
decline.
- Psychological reasons may be expressed as anxieties or fears
that cause a woman difficulty with one or more of the aspects of
sexual intimacy.
- Patient education and reassurance, combined with early
diagnosis and treatment, are the keys to effective treatment of
female sexual dysfunction.
- If the underlying cause of the sexual dysfunction is medical,
then effective treatment must first address the condition or
disease.
- It is helpful for a woman to communicate her feelings about any
physical changes, such as the loss of a breast due to breast
cancer, with her partner.
- There are many over-the-counter creams, gels and lubricants
that work well to alleviate vaginal dryness.
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