Female Sexual Dysfunction Information

What is Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD)?

• FSD is a legitimate medical condition recognized by the National Institutes of Health.
• FSD includes the disorders of desire, arousal, orgasm and pain, resulting in personal distress.
• Certain disorders of FSD may be inter-related. For example, pain during intercourse due to poor vaginal lubrication, stemming from arousal disorder, may reduce a woman’s desire — in other words, a medical problem can mask a healthy libido.
• FSD may be characterized by one or more of the following symptoms:

— Reduced clitoral sensation

— Reduced vaginal lubrication

— Difficulty or inability to experience an orgasm

— Lowered overall sexual satisfaction

Who Experiences Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD)?

• More than 43% of American women¹ experience some form of sexual dysfunction.
• Any woman can experience FSD at some point in her life.
• The prevalence of sexual problems is high across the range of ages for adult women and complaints of poor vaginal lubrication increase with age.
• Women with diabetes, spinal cord injuries or cardiovascular problems such as hypertension and high cholesterol are at higher risk to experience FSD.
• Women who take certain prescription medications, including anti-depressants or blood pressure medications, such as beta-blockers, may experience FSD as a side effect of these medications.

What Causes FSD?

• Female sexual dysfunction can have physical and/or psychological causes.
• Over the past decade or so, research on men has shown the causes for male sexual dysfunction to be 90% medical and only 10% psychological. Now that research is being done on FSD, some physicians anticipate that studies will show similar results for women.

Physical Causes

• Inadequate blood flow to the genitalia — may result in reduced clitoral sensitivity or numbness, a lack of lubrication, difficulty or inability to achieve an orgasm, and lowered overall sexual satisfaction.
• Side effects of medications — a decreased libido (desire) is a common side effect of many medications including anti-depressants and some blood-pressure medications.
• Trauma to the pelvic area.

Psychological Causes

• Low self-esteem or body image.
• History of physical or psychological abuse.

1. Laumann E, Paik A, Rosen R. Sexual Dysfunction in the United States, Prevalence and Predictors. JAMA; 0;281(6):537,1999.