Description

Female sexual dysfunction is a medical term for the course of the sexual problems that bothers you or your partner. Problems may involve sexual response, desire, orgasm or pain during sex.

Many people have sexual problems at some point. Some have them throughout their lives. Female sexual dysfunction can happen at any stage of life. It can happen only sometimes or all the time during sex.

The Sexual response is complex. It involves the functioning of your body, your feelings, things that happen in your life, your beliefs, your lifestyle and how you relate with your partner. A problem in any of these areas can affect sexual desire, arousal or satisfaction. The treatment often involves more than one approach.

Symptoms

The symptoms vary depending on the type of sexual dysfunction. Symptoms may include:

  • The lack of sexual desire. This, the most common of the female sexual dysfunctions implies a lack of interest in sex and not wanting to have sex.
  • Sexual arousal disorder. Even if you want sex, sometimes it can be difficult to obtain or to stay awake during sex.
  • Orgasmic disorder. You have continued problems having an orgasm, even with sufficient sexual excitement.
  • Sexual pain disorder. You have pain when having sex.

When to see a doctor

If sexual problems that affect your relationship or worry you, make an appointment with a member of the health team.

Causes

Sexual dysfunction problems often start when the hormones are changing. This could be after having a baby or during menopause. Serious disease, such as cancer, diabetes or heart disease, they also can add to the sexual dysfunction.

The factors that add to the sexual problems include the following:

  • Physics. Medical conditions that can lead to sexual dysfunction. These include cancer, diabetes, kidney failure, multiple sclerosis, heart disease, and bladder problems. Certain medications can decrease sexual desire and make it more difficult for you to have an orgasm. These include certain medicines to treat depression, high blood pressure, allergies and cancers.
  • Hormonal.Lower estrogen levels after menopause can lead to changes in the genital tissues and how they respond to sexual relations. A low level of estrogen leads to less blood flow to the pelvis. This can cause you to have less sensitivity in the genitals and need more time to get aroused and reach orgasm. The vaginal lining becomes thinner and less elastic. Not being sexually active can make this worse. These factors can lead to painful sexual intercourse is called dyspareunia. The Sexual desire also decreases when the hormone levels drop. Your body's hormone levels change after childbirth and during breastfeeding. This can lead to vaginal dryness and affect your sexual desire.
  • Psychological and social.The anxiety or depression that is not treated can cause sexual dysfunction or add. So you can long-term stress, a history of sexual abuse, the concerns of pregnancy and the demands of having a baby. Problems with your partner can affect your sex life. So can cultural and religious issues and problems with body image.

Hormonal. Lower estrogen levels after menopause can lead to changes in the genital tissues and how they respond to sexual relations. A low level of estrogen leads to less blood flow to the pelvis. This can cause you to have less sensitivity in the genitals and need more time to get aroused and reach orgasm.

The vaginal lining becomes thinner and less elastic. Not being sexually active can make this worse. These factors can lead to painful sexual intercourse is called dyspareunia. The Sexual desire also decreases when the hormone levels drop.

Your body's hormone levels change after childbirth and during breastfeeding. This can lead to vaginal dryness and affect your sexual desire.

Psychological and social. The anxiety or depression that is not treated can cause sexual dysfunction or add. So you can long-term stress, a history of sexual abuse, the concerns of pregnancy and the demands of having a baby.

Problems with your partner can affect your sex life. So can cultural and religious issues and problems with body image.

Risk factors

Factors that may increase the risk of sexual dysfunction:

  • Depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.
  • Heart disease, diabetes, cancer.
  • The conditions of the spinal column and the brain, called neurological. Examples are spinal cord injury or multiple sclerosis.
  • Gynecological conditions, including infections.
  • Certain medications, such as those adopted for depression or high blood pressure.
  • Emotional or psychological stress, the stress, especially in your relationship with your partner.
  • A history of sexual abuse.
  • The lack of privacy.

Diagnosis

To diagnose female sexual dysfunction, your health care professional may:

  • Discuss sexual and medical history and your gender identity. It can be uncomfortable to talk about such personal matters. But sexuality is a key part of your well-being. Be open about your sexual history and current problems that it raises the chances of finding a way to treat them.
  • Do a pelvic exam. During the exam, the healthcare provider checks the physical changes that can affect how much you enjoy sex. These include thinning of the genital tissues, scars or pain.
  • Order blood tests. Blood tests can check the health conditions that could be part of the sexual dysfunction.

Your healthcare provider may also suggest that you see a counselor or therapist that sex trafficking and the problems of the couples.

Treatment

Sexual dysfunction is a problem only if it bothers you. If it doesn't bother you, you may not need treatment. But if your sexual dysfunction is hurting your relationship with your partner, then seeing a counselor or therapist can be helpful.

Sexual dysfunction in women has many potential causes and symptoms, so treatment varies. You need to tell your health care professional for your concerns.

You also need to know how your body responds to sex and what you want from sex. These will help you with the choice of treatment and to know if it works for you.

More often, a combination of treatments that includes medical care, relationship of emotional problems and works better.

Nonmedical treatment for female sexual dysfunction

To treat sexual dysfunction, your healthcare provider may suggest the following:

  • Talk and listen. You need to talk openly with your partner to have a good sex life. Maybe you are not used to talking about what you want. But learning to do it and give feedback in a way that does not threaten can strengthen your relationship as a couple.
  • Live healthy.Lifestyle changes to improve health and well-being can also help to improve the sexual life. Limit the consumption of alcohol. Drinking too much can blunt your body's response to sex. Be physically active. Physical activity can give you more energy and put you in a better mood. Learn ways to reduce stress. This will help you to focus on the sex, and enjoy it.
  • Seek advice. Talk with a counselor or therapist who works with sexual problems. Therapy often includes learning about your body and ways to be closer to your partner.
  • The use of a lubricant. A vaginal lubricant may be helpful during intercourse if you have vaginal dryness or pain during sex.
  • The use of a vaginal moisturizer. You can use this at any time to relieve vaginal dryness.
  • Stay sexually active. To do this by yourself or with a partner. This can also relieve the discomfort of the vagina by increasing blood flow to the vagina.
  • Use of a device. Such devices as vibrators help with the orgasm by increasing blood flow to the clitoris.

Live healthy. Lifestyle changes to improve health and well-being can also help to improve the sexual life. Limit the consumption of alcohol. Drinking too much can blunt your body's response to sex. Be physically active. Physical activity can give you more energy and put you in a better mood.

Learn ways to reduce stress. This will help you to focus on the sex, and enjoy it.

Medical treatment for female sexual dysfunction

The treatment for sexual dysfunction often involves the management of a medical condition or hormonal change. Your healthcare provider may suggest the change of a medicine you are taking or reduction of the dose.

Treatments for female sexual dysfunction may include:

  • Vaginal estrogen. To relieve vaginal dryness, you can apply the estrogen to the vagina using a vaginal cream, tablet or ring. This treatment gives you a small amount of estrogen, the vaginal tissues to take in. It can help relieve vaginal dryness, pain during intercourse, and some urinary symptoms.
  • Ospemifene (Osphena). It is taken by mouth, this is a selective modulator of estrogen receptor (SERMS), medicine comes to sex painful linked to the thinning of the vaginal tissue. This medicine is not for people who have had breast cancer or who are at high risk of breast cancer.
  • Testosterone therapy. Testosterone plays a role in the health of the sexual function in women as in men. But there is no testosterone treatments approved for use in females for sexual dysfunction. This is due to concerns about how well it works and how safe it is. If you want that testosterone therapy, talk with a member of your health care team about the risks and benefits.
  • Flibanserin (Addyi).This was used for the first time as an antidepressant. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for use before the menopause to treat lack of sexual desire. This daily pill may increase the desire for sex. It is taken once a day at bedtime. Possible serious side effects include low blood pressure, sleepiness, tiredness and dizziness. It can also cause nausea and fainting. Mixing this medication with alcohol can worsen the side effects. Experts suggest stopping the medication if your sexual desire has not improved after eight weeks.
  • Bremelanotide (Vyleesi).Bremelanotide is anotherFDA-approved treatment for low sexual desire in people. This medication is an injection to give you just under the skin in the abdomen or the thigh before having sex. Some people have the feeling of nausea. This is more common after the first injection. Tends to improve with the second shot. Other side effects include vomiting, hot flashes, headache, and a skin reaction at the injection site.
  • Prasterone (Intrarosa). Put this insert or suppository human hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in the vagina. Helps to relieve vaginal dryness and pain during sex.

Flibanserin (Addyi). This was used for the first time as an antidepressant. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved for use before the menopause to treat lack of sexual desire.

This daily pill may increase the desire for sex. It is taken once a day at bedtime. Possible serious side effects include low blood pressure, sleepiness, tiredness and dizziness. It can also cause nausea and fainting.

Mixing this medication with alcohol can worsen the side effects. Experts suggest stopping the medication if your sexual desire has not improved after eight weeks.

Bremelanotide (Vyleesi). Bremelanotide is another FDA-approved treatment for low sexual desire in people. This medication is an injection to give you just under the skin in the abdomen or the thigh before having sex.

Some people have the feeling of nausea. This is more common after the first injection. Tends to improve with the second shot. Other side effects include vomiting, hot flashes, headache, and a skin reaction at the injection site.

Potential treatments that need further investigation

Researchers are studying these treatments for female sexual dysfunction:

  • Tibolone. The people in Europe, the use of this drug which has female and male hormone actions. Due to the concern that it might increase the risk of breast cancer and stroke, the FDA has not approved for use in the united states
  • Phosphodiesterase inhibitors.This group of drugs has been successful in the treatment of not being able to get and maintain an erection, called erectile dysfunction. But the drugs don't work as well for female sexual dysfunction. The results of the studies of women who take these medications have been mixed. A medicine such as sildenafil (Revatio, Viagra), may prove useful for some people who have sexual dysfunction taking a class of drugs used to treat depression. These are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Ssris). Do not take sildenafil if the use of nitroglycerin to a type of chest pain caused by the lower blood flow to the heart, is called angina.

Phosphodiesterase inhibitors. This group of drugs has been successful in the treatment of not being able to get and maintain an erection, called erectile dysfunction. But the drugs don't work as well for female sexual dysfunction. The results of the studies of women who take these medications have been mixed.

A medicine such as sildenafil (Revatio, Viagra), may prove useful for some people who have sexual dysfunction taking a class of drugs used to treat depression. These are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Ssris). Do not take sildenafil if the use of nitroglycerin to a type of chest pain caused by the lower blood flow to the heart, is called angina.

Due to that female sexual dysfunction is complex, even the best medicines are not willing to work if other emotional or social factors are not addressed.

Lifestyle and home remedies

To increase your sexual health, find ways to be okay with your sexuality, improve your self-esteem and accept your body. Try these healthy lifestyle habits:

  • Don't drink too much alcohol. Drinking too much gets in the way of the sexual response.
  • Do not smoke. Cigarette smoking restricts the flow of blood. Less blood reaches his sexual organs. This could lower sexual arousal and avoid having an orgasm.
  • Be physically active. Regular aerobic exercise can give you more energy, helps you feel better with your body and put you in a better mood. This can help you feel more romantic, more often.
  • Learn to relax. Learn ways to reduce stress and relax. Being relaxed can help you to concentrate during sex. And you can help to improve the excitation and will help you have an orgasm.

Alternative medicine

More research is needed, but therapies can help improve the sex they are:

  • Cognitive behavior therapy. This type of therapy can help change the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are not healthy. It has been shown to reduce the amount of the symptoms of menopause, upset.
  • Mindfulness. This is a type of meditation that is used to increase the awareness and help you to accept the present. Focus on a single thing during meditation, such as the flow of your breath. Let your thoughts and emotions to pass without judging them.
  • Yoga. During yoga, you do a series of postures and breathing exercises, controlled. This helps to move your body better and calm your mind. Some types of yoga aim to improve the sexual relations.

There are also some herbal supplements and topical oils that are sold to increase the sexual desire and sexual pleasure. But these products have not been well studied. A product with estrogen-like action may stimulate the growth of breast tumors that feed on estrogen. Talk with your health care professional before trying any herbal or timeliness of the petroleum products.

Preparing for your appointment

If you have sexual problems that upset you, make an appointment with your health care professional. Don't be shy to talk about sex with your health care professional.

You may have a condition that can be treated. Or lifestyle changes, therapy, or a combination of treatments that can help. Your primary health care professional, whether diagnose and treat the problem or refer you to a specialist.

Here's some information to help you prepare for your appointment.

What you can do

Make a list of the following:

  • Their symptoms. Take note of the sexual problems you're having, including when and how often they occur.
  • Your sexual history. Write about your relationships and the sex that I have had since I started having sex. Be prepared to talk about the history of sexual trauma or abuse.
  • His medical history. Write down any medical conditions you have, including mental health conditions. Make a list of the medications you are taking or have recently taken, including dosage.
  • Questions to ask your health care professional. Make a list of questions in order to make the most of your appointment time.

Some basic questions to ask about their sexual problems, which include:

  • What could be the cause of my sexual problems?
  • I need medical tests?
  • What treatment do you suggest?
  • What can I expect from treatment?
  • Do you think that my partner and I should talk to a sex therapist?
  • There is printed material I can have? What websites do you suggest?

Be sure to ask all the questions that you have.

What to expect from your doctor

Your health care professional may ask personal questions and might want to include your partner in the interview. The questions may include:

  • How much do your sexual problems bother you?
  • How is your relationship?
  • Do you get aroused during sex with your partner?
  • Do you have orgasms?
  • Have you had orgasms in the past but no longer can?
  • Do you have pain with intercourse?
  • What form of birth control or hormones, if any, are used?
  • Make use of alcohol or recreational drugs? How much?
  • Have you ever had a surgery involved in your reproductive system?

What you can do in the meantime

Talk with your partner. Be honest about the problem that you have. Think of other ways to be close to each other. Make time to be intimate.

Symptoms and treatment of Female sexual dysfunction