Symptoms and Causes of Female Sexual Dysfunction

2020-05-15 / RG STONE HOSPITAL / Indian Health Care System

As a girl enters her womanhood, there are quite a lot of things she experiences as she becomes an adult such as studies, career, marriage and many other things that she wishes to take up. One of the things she is likely to experience is sexual intercourse with her counterpart. While it is emphasized that a person should engage in intercourse when he or she is completely ready, there could be some sexual related problems that might impact her sexual life.

These sexual problems should not be taken as an ego problem nor should anyone lose one’s confidence. This stands true for women as well where they need to know that if they are facing some sexual related problems then they should always consult a doctor without feeling shy about the same.

There could be certain sexual problems like lack of sexual desire, response or orgasm or sexual pain that can put the woman in a distress and strain the relationship with a partner especially when these sexual problems are taking place for a while. When such problems occur with a woman, it is known medically as Female Sexual Dysfunction.

The female sexual problem can occur at any age where it can take place at a particular stage or it can take place throughout one’s life. Again sexual problems can happen either in some sexual situations or in all sexual situations. That’s why a woman should always be open to meeting a gynaecologist to discuss and share her problems and find out the solutions to solve the problems.

The medical approach to female sexual problems involve more than one way as the sexual problems happen due to a number of the interconnectedness of various problems like emotional, physical and mental which involve the past and present relationships, beliefs, lifestyles and experiences. There is a nuanced approach that is taken by the doctor to treat a woman’s sexual problems.

Some of the symptoms that occur as a sign of female sexual dysfunction are :

• Low Sexual Interest - This means that when a woman is not having much interest to be involved in sexual intercourse with her partner and hence, it leads to low sexual desire.
• Sexual Arousal Disorder - In simple words, it involves a mix of sexual desire and foreplay that leads to further interest to have sexual intercourse but when this does not happen or a woman is not able to maintain the sexual arousal then there is a problem of sexual arousal disorder.
• Sexual Pain - When a woman is facing recurrent pain in a sexual act or stimulation, it leads to the problem of sexual pain.
• Unable to Orgasm - When a woman is facing difficulty in achieving orgasm in sexual intercourse repeatedly that is unable to fulfil her sexual desires then there is an orgasmic disorder.

So, these are the symptoms that a woman generally faces when it comes to sexual dysfunction. If a woman is facing any of these or all of these, she should certainly go and meet a doctor. 

These symptoms sometimes arise out of certain causes that lead to female sexual dysfunction such as :

• Health-Related Issues -  Certain medical conditions such as cancer, kidney failure, heart disease or bladder problems can lead to sexual dysfunction for a woman. Even some medications such as some antidepressants, blood pressure medications or chemotherapy drugs can decrease a woman’s sexual drive and her desire to have sex and achieve orgasm.
• Hormonal Issues - Hormonal issues can play an important role in a woman’s sex life, for example, in the situation of menopause woman have lower estrogen levels that lead to lesser genital sensation and leads to more time in being sexually aroused. Sexual desire also decreases when hormonal levels decrease. Even after childbirth, there are major hormonal issues that can lead to vaginal dryness and can lower sexual desire.
• Not Having Active Sexual Life - When a woman is not having an active sex life, then her vagina lining becomes thinner and less elastic which in turn leads to painful sexual intercourse, also known as Dyspareunia. 
• Psychological Issue - Having anxiety, long-term stress or depression could lead to sexual dysfunction. If a woman has a history of sexual abuse then that can also impact her sexual life. A woman who stresses about becoming a mother may have similar effects.
• Emotional Problems with the Partner - Fights about sex and other aspects of a woman’s relationship can reduce her sexual responsiveness and may make her feel underconfident in sex.

Hence, these are the symptoms and causes that lead to female sexual dysfunction. What needs to be noted that no woman must feel low or underconfident if she is going through these problems as there is always a doctor to help you out. In such situations, one should visit a gynaecologist of RG Stone Hospital at any branch. RG Stone Hospital is open during the lockdown as well, so if any woman wishes to visit a doctor at RG Stone Hospital then she is always welcome. RG Stone Hospital offers numerous health services to people and is more than happy to cater to help any person with any kind of health issue.