This article appeared on AssociatedContent.com on June 9, 2010: 

 

According to Virtual Medical Centre, "Research suggests that the majority of women experience sexual dysfunction at some point in their lives, and for many it is an ongoing or recurring issue." A common type of sexual dysfunction that women experience is sexual arousal disorder. To help understand sexual arousal disorder I have interviewed Dr. Lisa Colangelo Fischer.

 

Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I have a Ph.D. degree in Counseling Psychology and am in private clinical practice in Phoenix, AZ where I use contemporary psychoanalytic psychotherapy in treating adults with anxiety, depression, sexual dysfunctions, and relationship difficulties, to name a few. I am currently president of the Southwest Psychoanalytic Society.

 

What is sexual arousal disorder?
Sexual arousal disorder is the physiological inability to be sexually stimulated.

 

What are the signs and symptoms of sexual arousal disorder?
In order for a diagnosis of sexual arousal disorder to be made, there needs to be very little to no response physically in the genital area to any kind of sexual stimulation. This lack of response is persistent and recurrent. In women, there is very little or no vaginal swelling and lubrication. In men, there is a failure to achieve erection or to maintain erection during intercourse.

 

What type of impact does sexual arousal disorder have on a person's life?
Sexual arousal disorder that is persistent and recurrent can have a tremendous negative impact on a person's life in four different ways:

1) Affectively, a person may become anxious, depressed, guilty, and/or have lowered self esteem and confidence.
2) Cognitively, a person may become preoccupied with feelings of inadequacy, think there's "something wrong with my body", "I'm not good enough", "I'm not womanly/manly enough", that he/she is the only one with this kind of problem, and/or worry excessively about sexual relationshipsand intercourse.
3) Somatically, a person may develop a sensory hypo-responsivity where there may be an increased lack of physical and sexual sensation. Body memory of previous sexual trauma (if any) can play a role here where the body can automatically shut off or tune out any physical/sexual sensations as a defense mechanism.
4) Relationally, a person may avoid or limit engaging in mature, emotional, and sexual intimacy with others. Sexual intercourse is unsatisfying, incomplete, and for some women, is painful.

 

What type of help is available for someone who has sexual arousal disorder?
A medical professional (urologist, urogynecologist, gynecologist, and endocrinologist) can help with exploring any underlying physical causes that may exacerbate sexual arousal difficulties. Some contributing physical factors can be low levels of estrogen in women and testosterone in men, vaginal infection, chronic illnesses such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and damaged nerves due to genital injury. Certain prescription drugs can contribute to arousal difficulties such as some SSRIs.

 

A psychologist or therapist with a good understanding of both contributing and resulting psychological factors to sexual arousal disorder can help a person deal with the difficulty. There are therapists who are specifically trained in sexology to treat people with psychosexual dysfunction issues, including sexual arousal disorder.

 

What advice would you like to leave for someone who has sexual arousal disorder?
You are entitled to a full, satisfying sexual life. Do not hesitate in seeking help. There are many out there dealing with the same issues as you are. As a result, professionals are better understanding and equipped to help those suffering from sexual arousal disorders.

"I wish my husband would take a chill pill so I can be left alone,"  a patient of mine recently lamented.  She was talking about the difference in their sexual desires; he wants sex more often than she does.  Compared to his sexual drive, she felt hers was inadequate.  Some feminists discern it as the opposite way; compared to her sexual drive, his would appear excessive.

Some argue that the diagnosis of Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) in females should be disputed and that sex therapy for women with low libidos serves only to make them believe that they are at fault or have problems.  However, HSDD is real and affects scores of women.  HSDD if not treated hurts relationships.

 

After ruling out any possible underlying physical and psychological causes to this kind of sexual dysfunction, as a relational psychotherapist I approach this with the viewpoint that it is not specifically his or her problem.  Rather, it is an issue of the couple.  It happens that their sexual desires are at times mismatched.  I encourage the couple to work together as a team, exploring options that would help make their sexual desires compatible.  This approach usually brings great relief to the partner with lower sexual desire and enables the partner with the higher desire feel more included in the sexual decision making process.  Finger-pointing and blaming one another is significantly reduced.  Each partner is allowed to work intersubjectively with one another.  By experiencing the other's viewpoints and emotions, a stronger bond is created.

 

Women with lower sex drive are more common than men.  There are few cases that I had where the woman is the partner with higher sex drive and her husband was the one with the lower sex drive.  I apply the same principal of this being a couple issue.  This is not to deny that there are special circumstances that may lead to the individual sexual desire difficulty.  I address this on an individual basis with the goal of bringing the couple later to work together.