What you need to know
Sexual problems are highly prevalent in women. In the United States, approximately 40% percent of women have sexual concerns and 12% report distressing sexual problems. 21% of women have sexual pain with little access to appropriate care and treatment.
The most commonly reported types of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) were low sexual desire (up to 43 percent) and inability to reach orgasm (up to 41 percent).
Over 30,000 women responded to validated questionnaires in the PRESIDE study regarding low desire, low arousal, and orgasm difficulties. The prevalence of any of these three sexual problems was 43 percent; 22 percent reported sexually related personal distress and 12 percent attributed distress to a specific type of sexual problem (eg, desire).
The etiology of sexual dysfunction is often multi-factorial and may include hormonal, physical, or psychological changes including but not limited to menopause, medications, depression, musculoskeletal, history of abuse, childbirth as well as cultural issues. The adjacent list contains more specific causes of FSD as well as female sexual pain.
Potential Causes of Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD)
- Decreased libido (diminished sex drive), arousal, or orgasm
- Vaginal dryness
- Pain with intercourse
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Vulvodynia aka vulvar vestibulitis
- Vulvar dermatoses
- Interstitial cystitis
- Chronic candidiasis (yeast infections)
- Bacterial vaginosis
- History of breast or gynecologic cancers
- Desquamative inflammatory vaginitis
- Pelvic floor dysfunction (aka vaginismus or levator ani syndrome)
- Human papiloma virus infection (HPV)
- Herpes and herpetic neuralgia
- Pudendal neuralgia
- Endometriosis
- Clitoral pain
- Plasma cell vulvitis
- Pruritis vulvae (vulvar itching)
- Vulvar granuloma fisuratum (recurrent tearing of the vulva)
- Vulvar ulcers
- Cultural backround pressures
- Medications
- Chronic medical illness