Sexual dysfunction refers to any difficulty a person or couple are experiencing with the various aspects of sexual activity such as attraction, arousal, pleasure and orgasm. Sexual dysfunction can cause extreme distress and severely impact a person’s quality of life.
The most common problem that affects males is erectile dysfunction, which usually has a physical cause. Psychological factors such as situational anxiety, however, can also affect male sexual function.
Some of the problems that causes sexual dysfunction in females include loss of interest in sex, difficulty reaching orgasm, negative thoughts during sex, and vaginal dryness and tightness causing pain during sex.
Approach to sexual dysfunction
The main initial approach to sexual dysfunction is a thorough physical and psychological evaluation of the couple, both individually and together. Physical problems such as erectile dysfunction can be treated using medication and psychotherapy may be used in cases where a psychological element is suspected.
Psychological elements that are taken into consideration include anxiety, guilt, intra-marital problems, abuse, stress, past history of sexual trauma, depression and panic disorders. Physical factors include alcohol abuse, cigarette smoking, the use of stimulants such as cocaine and heroin and even a high caffeine intake.
The number of consultations sought for sexual dysfunction is very low as many people are reluctant to seek help. People therefore tend to use internet-based information about sexual dysfunction to “self-diagnosis” and manage the problem.
Lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking and alcohol consumption can help to resolve some cases of erectile dysfunction and examples of medications that may be used include Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. Another form of therapy is intracavernous pharmacotherapy, which involves a vasodilator medication that is injected into the penis to induce an erection.
For women, the a vacuum device is available that increases the flow of blood to the genitalia and clitoris.
Sexual Dysfunction Causes
There have been various different attitudes towards sexual dysfunction over the centuries. Erectile dysfunction, in particular, has been written about in detail since medieval times.
Some of the earliest treatment approaches to sexual dysfunction were developed by Muslim physicians and pharmacists in medieval times. These physicians would prescribe both single drug therapies and combination regimens to treat erectile dysfunction. They also designed topical or locally applied medication preparations and developed drugs that could be applied via the urethra.
Some examples of key Muslim figures who were well known for this between the 9th and 16th centuries include Muhammad ibn Zakarīya Rāzi, Thabit bin Qurra, Ibn Al-Jazzar, Avicenna Averroes, Ibn al-Baitar, and Ibn al-Nafis. In particular, Avicenna was known for writing the book “The Canon of Medicine” and Ibn al-Nafis for writing the “The Comprehensive Book on Medicine.”
Traditional Chinese treatment approaches to sexual dysfunction included acupuncture, acupressure and the use of herbs.
As far as modern medicine is concerned, the study of sexual dysfunction dates back to the 1970s when the book Human Sexual Inadequacy was published by Masters and Johnson. The book was the final product of more than ten years of work carried out at the Reproductive Biology Research Foundation in St. Louis and involved 790 cases. The foundations for the book were laid out in a previous work by Master and Johnson called Human Sexual Response, which was published in 1966.
Prior to this, the main figure associated with treatment approaches to sexual dysfunction was Sigmund Freud. It was generally believed that sexual dysfunction originated in psychopathological factors and, overall, attitudes were pessimistic over the possibility of such disorders ever resolving. The approach to sexual disorders was mainly psychopathological and the various different forms of sexual dysfunction and their underlying causes were poorly distinguished.
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