Sexual dysfunction – very common among both men and women – refers to a difficulty experienced by an individual or a couple during any stage of normal sexual activity, including desire, arousal or attaining orgasm. At VIP Aesthetics we are very familiar with the nature of sexual dysfunction disorders, and are acutely aware of the stigma you may feel that can be associated with such a highly-sensitive subject.
Recent study research revealed that 25% to 63% of women and 10% to 52% of men report having at least one symptom associated with sexual dysfunction disorders. Generally classified into four, specific “disorder categories”: sexual desire, sexual arousal, orgasm, and sexual pain disorders – sexual dysfunction is more common than one might think.
Sexual desire disorders (due to a person’s decreased libido) may be caused by our bodies’ lower-than-normal production of the hormones estrogen (in women) or testosterone (in both men and women). Other causes may be aging, fatigue, pregnancy, and the side-effects of certain medications — such as the SSRI anti-depressants Prozac®, Zoloft®, and Paxil® (or their generic equivalents), which are known to reduce sexual interest or desire. Taking SSRI drugs can delay the achievement of orgasm, or entirely eliminate it from happening at all.
Any person suffering from depression and anxiety can also experience decreased libido resulting in a loss of interest in sexual activity.
Sexual arousal disorders were, in the past, broadly termed for women as frigidity, and for men the condition was called impotence. Impotence is now appropriately referred to as diagnosed erectile dysfunction (ED), and frigidity is now less-judgmentally described to be the result of any of a number of specific problems regarding a woman’s sexual desire, arousal, or its relative anxiety. For both men and women these conditions may present as a reluctance to engage in any sexual contact with a partner, or to even completely avoid it. In men, failure to attain or maintain a partial or full erection, combined with a possible lack of sexual excitement or to experience pleasure during sexual activity, may also be present.
Both women and men can have orgasm disorders following a normal sexual excitement phase. Sexual function disorders can also occur due to underlying medical conditions, such as decreased blood flow or lack of vaginal lubrication.
Chronic diseases may also contribute to resultant sexual dysfunction, as can the nature of the partners’ relationship. As the success of the popular men’s ED drug Viagra® attests, erectile disorders may be primarily due to physical, and not psychological, conditions. Sexual pain disorders almost exclusively affect women – such as generalized vulvar pain, dyspareunia (painful intercourse, which may be caused by vaginal dryness) and vaginismus (an involuntary spasm of the vaginal wall muscles) – and women may also have pelvic or ovarian abnormalities, which can result in pain during intercourse.
A lifestyle change, ED an dysfunction medications, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), or other treatment therapies, can help you to alleviate sexual dysfunction disorders that you may be experiencing. Our knowledgeable Doctor and courteous staff are ready to consult with you to help you to treat sexual dysfunction disorders.
