Symptoms of Female Sexual Dysfunction
Loss of desire – Also known as lack of sex drive, this problem can be experienced by women at some points in their life (stressful times or pregnancy). Some women experience it occasionally while some can experience it all the time. There are two reasons why adults suffer from a lack of sex drive: one is physical and the other psychological.
The physical causes of loss of desire can include:
Past traumatic sexual experience
Tiredness
Too much drug and alcohol use
Hormone problems
Relationship problems
Depression
Diabetes
As the female ages, her natural testosterone level drops causing a fall in her sex drive. The testosterone of a woman comes from her ovaries as well as adrenal glands; if these are removed or if they are not working well, her testosterone level drops.
Orgasm problems – There are two types of orgasm problems: one is termed primary (which is when a woman never experienced orgasm) and secondary (when a woman now cannot experience orgasm unlike before). There are women who enjoy sex without needing to have an orgasm but for some women and their partners, not being able to attain orgasm can be a problem.
Some reasons why women can’t seem to attain orgasm include:
Past traumatic experience
Depression and other mood disorders
Relationship problems
Lack of stimulation
Inability to “let go”
Lack of knowledge or fear of
Pain – Dyspareunia or pain during copulation is experienced by a lot of women and it is even more common after menopause since during this time the woman’s estrogen levels fall causing the vagina to feel dry. This makes the woman hesitant to have sex.
Vaginismus is another type of pain felt by the woman during sexual intercourse. This happens when the muscles surrounding the vagina go into spasm during sex, making the sexual act unbearably painful. It can be very distressing and upsetting. Vaginismus may develop if the woman constantly relates sex to pain or to being something ‘wrong.” It can come about also from painful conditions in the vagina and its surrounding parts, fear of pregnancy, relationship problems or vaginal trauma like episiotomy or childbirth.
Symptoms of Male Sexual Dysfunction
The symptoms of sexual problems in men include:
Bloody ejaculation
Constant erection not involving sexual desire
Lack of ejaculation
Problem in controlling ejaculation and orgasm – The ejaculation/orgasm is attained very early during copulation, leaving the female dissatisfied
Orgasm achievement only through things that are considered taboo or bizarre – Fetishes, sado-masochistic sex, etc.
Orgasm achievement only through oral sex or masturbation
Attaining orgasm only after an unusually long stimulation time
Failure to reach orgasm no matter what kind of sexual stimulation is given
Failure to achieve and keep an erection long enough for sexual functioning or satisfaction
Failure to have an erection
Paucity of sexual fantasies or sexual desire or no interest in sexual contact