4 Major Symptoms of Sexual Dysfunction

A woman’s sexual response involves a complex interplay of her emotions, beliefs, experiences, relationships, lifestyle and physiology (such as her physical well-being and vaginal health). But unlike erectile dysfunction among men which is widely understood in medical circles, female sexual dysfunction is a poorly researched issue and even considered a contested diagnostic. As a result, many women are hesitant to start a conversation with their doctors for fear of being told that her sexual problems are all in her head.

A step in the right direction would be to list down the symptoms of sexual dysfunction that experts have identified so women and their doctors have a common ground to start the conversation. If you feel any one or a combination of symptoms such as discussed below, you may need further evaluation by a trained health practitioner.

Lack of enthusiasm for sex

Low sexual desire is often the most common indicator of sexual dysfunction (not just among women but among men, too). The causes can range from being bored in a relationship, hormonal changes, stress at home and at work, medications, depression, and changes in a woman’s vagina itself. Lack of lubrication due to menopause or vaginal laxity due to natural childbirth can all be contributors to a woman’s lack of interest in sex.

The good news is that there are non-invasive and effective treatments available today to address these concerns. Vaginal laxity, for example, can be treated with non-surgical vaginal tightening procedure called Viveve that’s currently very popular in laser clinics in Singapore. This procedure uses a treatment tip that is inserted just behind the vaginal opening so radio frequency energy can be delivered to vaginal tissues and stimulate production of collagen.

Pain during intercourse

Sexual intercourse is a naturally pleasurable activity, so any pain associated with it should be investigated. Sexual pain can be caused by various problems such as ovarian cysts, a pelvic mass, endometriosis (or the development of uterine-lining tissue outside the uterus), vaginitis, or scar tissue from surgery.

Difficulty in achieving or maintaining arousal

A woman may have raging sexual desire, but both her mind and body may be actively preventing her from getting turned on. One of the main culprits is anxiety, or a woman’s inability to turn off her worries outside the bedroom, bringing to bed all her fears and insecurities that prevent her from focusing on the stimulation she receives.

One such worry is brought about by vaginal laxity. As a loose vagina has no sufficient tone to grip the penis during intercourse, women who have developed vaginal looseness report that reduced sensation contributes to “performance anxiety.” For these women, vaginal tightening without surgery may just be what they need to achieve and maintain arousal. Aesthetic clinic Singapore patients report improvement in vaginal tone 30 to 90 days after receiving Viveve treatment, so it might be well worth your time and effort to look into this painless, zero downtime lunchtime treatment if you have vaginal laxity problems.

Another reason for failure to get aroused can be lack of vaginal lubrication which usually happens to women of advanced age or women approaching menopause. Lubrication could help smooth things along, but the woman has to be receptive to the stimulation she gets (and the stimulation has to be adequate), or she’ll find it hard to climax. Recent studies also suggest that insufficient blood flow to the vagina and clitoris may contribute to arousal problems.

Anorgasmia

This is the medical term for a woman’s inability to orgasm all factors considered. This absence of sexual climax can be caused by cultural, religious and psychological impediments aside from the usual physiological problems. For example, in certain primitive cultures, women are discouraged from having sex for the sole purpose of enjoying it. Even modern cultures that have extremist beliefs instill in their women that there are certain “dirty things” between her thighs that need to be removed in a (highly controversial) practice known as infibulation (female genital mutilation).

As clitoris (which is removed in this procedure) is crucial to a woman’s enjoyment of sex, infibulation strips women of the opportunity to experience clitoral and blended (both vaginal and clitoral) orgasms. Reconstructive surgery in medical clinic in Singapore or in countries with advanced reproductive health facilities is necessary to restore a woman’s physiologic ability to climax. She has then to change how she views sex and rise above her cultural and traditional constraints if she were to fully enjoy the pleasures of sex.