Sexuality is one of the most important things in every human being’s life. Not only for reproductive function, which is also very important, but it plays a very strong psychological role that brings well-being to our lives, pleasure, and often helps maintain emotional balance and relieve daily stress. It’s no different for women. Despite many taboos having been broken in recent years, many women still struggle to talk openly about this topic, whether due to embarrassment, fear, or simply not knowing how to express themselves.

Social Taboo

The biggest problem this social taboo brings is silence, which can end up causing other issues, like affecting a woman’s sex life and consequently her well-being. But this taboo and silence are just some of the reasons why women develop some type of sexual dysfunction. Although not much discussed, these dysfunctions are more common than you might think and affect a large number of women every year. Some of the reasons women develop these dysfunctions are actually psychological, such as high stress levels, depression, excessive worry, among other things. However, there are also physical aspects that contribute to this happening.

Main Causes of Sexual Dysfunctions

Although not widely known, it’s important to learn which sexual dysfunctions are most common in women, their causes, and how to treat them—and that’s what we will discuss today. Some of the main dysfunctions are:

  • Orgasmic disorder
  • Vaginismus
  • Low sexual desire (or hypoactive sexual desire)
  • Sexual arousal disorder

Each of these affects an aspect of a woman’s sex life, and for this reason, there are different ways to address each of these dysfunctions so that a woman can have a healthy and pleasurable sex life.

Orgasmic Disorder

Orgasmic disorder is one of the most common sexual dysfunctions in women, and many are unaware they suffer from it. In orgasmic disorder, the woman experiences normal sexual arousal but never (or almost never) manages to reach orgasm itself. It’s not uncommon to hear about women who have never reached sexual climax, but why does this happen? This problem, specifically, is almost always of psychological origin, coming from social taboos that prevent a woman from relaxing and viewing sex as something healthy and not sinful. However, other factors can also contribute to the development of this dysfunction, such as excessive alcohol use, diabetes, or hormonal problems that affect a woman’s sexual desire.

How to address orgasmic disorder?

Identifying the cause of this dysfunction is definitely the first thing to do. If the problem is physical, direct treatment of the underlying cause may solve it, such as diabetes management or hormone therapy, if that is the issue. But if the problem is psychological, it is recommended that the woman seek a psychologist to undergo appropriate treatment and understand that her sex life also impacts her health.

Vaginismus

Vaginismus is a sexual pain disorder and, once again, is closely linked to a woman’s psychological side. This dysfunction occurs when there are involuntary contractions of the vaginal muscles, preventing penetration by the penis or even by a finger. Various causes can trigger vaginismus, such as trauma, intense insecurity, negative or incorrect beliefs and information about sexuality, or even inexperience that can create great fear. It is important to emphasize that the contraction happens involuntarily, meaning the woman has no control over what is happening in the moment.

How to treat vaginismus?

Psychological treatment to discover the causes of this dysfunction should be undertaken. Only then is it possible to understand how these muscle contractions arise and how to overcome this problem.

Low Sexual Desire

Low sexual desire, or even the lack of it, may have various causes. The most common may be due to hormonal changes, which can make a woman feel no desire whatsoever. Such changes may occur due to a disorder or the use of certain medications that affect some glands. High stress levels and anxiety disorders can also cause reduced sexual desire in a woman.

How to solve this problem?

Again, the most suitable solution is to identify what is causing the low sexual desire in order to treat it effectively. Not all cases of sexual dysfunction in women are psychological, and often these problems can be treated with specific medications.

Sexual Arousal Disorder

This is not a dysfunction exclusive to women, in which the body has an insufficient response and ends up not lubricating the vagina (or prevents erection in the case of men) to enable comfortable intercourse, causing pain and discomfort that interfere with the sexual act. Although common, many women do not realize that what they are experiencing is a sexual dysfunction and often do not seek any help to resolve the problem.

How to resolve it?

Lubricants can help, as sexual desire generally remains present in sexual arousal disorder, but in some cases, a more thorough diagnosis is needed, especially when your relationships are frequently affected. It is important to know that sex is health and your health can be greatly affected by sex. Every human being needs to balance various aspects of their life to live well, and sex is one of those aspects—indeed, one of the most important. Although many of us received an upbringing that condemns or tries to hide sex as an inherent part of our lives, we must recognize that it is part of life for our own good, that it helps our well-being, and that, without it, we may even develop other problems, particularly psychological ones. That’s why, when you experience sexual dysfunction problems, the first thing you should do is seek help to resolve it and not hide the issue. Treating sex as part of your health will help you overcome any problem and provide you with a more peaceful life. Also see: Lack of Sexual Desire – What Is Happening? Photo: windsing