Women’s sexuality is multifactorial, rooted in biologic, psychosexual, and context-related factors. Women’s sexuality is also multisystemic because a normal sexual physiologic response requires the integrity of the hormonal, vascular, nervous, muscular, connective and immune systems. Ultimately, three major dimensions interact to define a women’s sexual health. These are female sexual identity, sexual function and sexual relationship. Dysfunction in any of these three spheres may result in a sexual disorder. A sexual dysfunction will not necessarily become a sexual disorder because in order to be so defined, the sexual dysfunction must cause significant personal distress to the woman.
Female sexual problems are age related, progressive and highly prevalent, affecting up to 43% of women. Sexual disorders are not benign and, as in men, have been associated with poor quality of life, poor self-image, poor relationship quality, anxiety and depression.
Sexual dysfunctions in women have been categorized into disorders of desire including in the extreme, sexual aversion, disorders of arousal, disorders of orgasm and sexual pain disorders.
Treatment of the following sexual disorders
can dramatically improve a woman’s quality of life.
Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD)
HSDD is defined as absent or diminished feelings of sexual interest or desire.
Sexual Aversion Disorder (SAD)
SAD is defined as severe anxiety or disgust at the thought of sexual activity. Dr. Wolf views this condition as an extreme, end stage subset of HSDD.
Female Sexual Arousal Disorders (FSAD)
FSAD is defined as the absence of or markedly diminished feelings of sexual arousal (sexual excitement and sexual pleasure) from any type of sexual stimulation and/or absent or impaired genital sexual arousal including vulval swelling and vaginal lubrication.
Female Orgasmic Disorder
Orgasmic Disorder in Women is defined as the persistent or recurrent difficulty, delay in or absence of experiencing orgasm following sufficient sexual stimulation and arousal.