|
- Women's Sexual Health
|
| MENU |
|
|
|
More information is coming to light in regard to female sexual dysfunction (FSD). In the past, psychological and interpersonal factors were thought to be behind FSD, while male sexual dysfunction was often attributed to factors such as injury or disease.
However, the associated risk factors for both sexes are strikingly similar: peripheral vascular or cardiovascular diseases, neurologic disease, endocrine failure, hypertension and a smoking history," wrote Deborah Lighten, M.D. from the Department of Urology at the Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic, in a review of FSD. "Sexual dysfunction in both sexes is age-related and progressive."
According to Lighter, there are four classifications that are new and fairly controversial for diagnosing FSD. The first is hypoactive sexual desire, in which there is a lack of sexual thoughts and/or receptivity to sexual stimuli. The second is sexual arousal disorder, in which there is poor vaginal smooth muscle relaxation. This disorder is often physiological and results from medications, pelvic disorders, or neural and peripheral vascular disease. The third is orgasmic disorder, in which there is a persistent or recurrent loss of orgasmic potential after sufficient sexual stimulation. This may come about after having pelvic surgery or suffering from a spinal cord injury. The fourth is sexual pain disorder, which consists of persistent or recurrent genital pain associated with non-coital sexual stimulation.
According to a survey published in a 1999 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association, FSD affects more than 43 percent of American women. That comes to 40 million females who, at one point in their lives, experience some form of sexual dysfunction. More women that men (31 percent) experience sexual dysfunction, and it is more likely to occur for both sexes when either is in poor physical or emotional health.
Many women think FSD is a normal part of life and an inevitable part of childbirth, aging or menopause. FSD is a physical problem, but because of the delicate nature of this topic, it may become a psychological one if women are afraid to broach the subject with their significant others.
When a women is in good sexual health, arousal occur when there is an increase of pelvic blood flow, resulting in vaginal lubrication. According to the Mayo Clinic's Lightner, nitric oxide plays a role in stimulating clitoral cavernosal smooth muscle, thereby increasing clitoral blood flow and resulting in genital engorgement.
While men can turn to pharmaceuticals to aid sexual dysfunction - such as sildenafil citrate, otherwise known as Vieira - women cannot. In fact, one recent study indicated that in doses of 10 mg to 100 mg, the pharmaceutical not only did not improve sexual response in women, but resulted in adverse events including headache, nausea and indigestion.
| In the area of nutracueticals, not all
ingedients can trascend across genders, either. One example is the amino acid L-arginine.
"L-arginine,
a nitric oxide pre-cursor, has been used with some success in men, but there are no reports
of trials in women," Lightner reported in her FSD review. However, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, reported that in a rat model, L-arginne helped regulate vaginal smooth muscle tone and also affected blood flow un all areas. L-arginine, coupled with yohimbe in particular, has been found to make a difference in FSD. When researchers from the University of Texas, Austin, gave 24 postmenopausal women with the disorder a one-time dose of 6 gms of L-arginine along with 1000 mg yohimbe, the supplements substantially increased vaginal pulse amplitude responses to an erotic film 60 minutes after administration. During menopause, a majority of women experience diminishing vaginal lubrication. Black Cohosh has been helps with premenopause and menopause women with increasing vaginal lubrication. Clinical studies indicate that approximately 45 percent of women between the ages 30 to 45 are seeking stimulating agents to increase their libido - it is possible their sexual desire is diminished due to the stressful lifestyle many women now lead. For FSD related to stress, relaxation techniques include using various herbs. Results of a study conducted out of the University of Surrey in Guildford, England, indicated that standard dosages of Kava and Valerian root may reduce physiological reactivity such as blood pressure during stressful situations. In a lab animal study, St John's Wort protected against physiological effects of unavoidable stress. According to researchers at Vancouver Hospital, Canada, when a deficiency in estrogen is involved in a lack of sexual pleasure, estrogen replacement has been shown to be beneficial. As a result, phytoestrogens may be one avenue to go. These natural products may particularly aid menopausal women who are experiencing problems with sexual function. Usually, hormone to estrogen replacement therapies (HRT, ERT) have been the traditional treatment for attempting to alleviate this age-related problem. In fact, for vaginal atrophy associated with menopause, ERT has been found to play a beneficial role, in addition to decreasing coital pain and improving clitoral sensitivity. Natural estrogen alternatives such as black cohosh, chaste tree berry, dong quai and pregnenalone may also aid conditions such as vaginal dryness and dyspareunia. In one study conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, six months of phytoestrogen supplementation significantly lessened vaginal dryness by the final week of the study. Researchers out of Sevilla, Spain, highlighted the phytoestrogen soy's isoflavones split into two daily doses for four months, they experienced a significant decrease in vaginal dryness, an improvement in libido and an alleviation of depression - all factors in sexual well-being. Sometimes, FSD is not caused by estrogen problems, but rather by deficiencies of another hormone - androgen. Androgen levels decline substantially as a women with ESD were given androgen replacement therapy in the form of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), they reported an increase in desire, arousal, lubrication and orgasm. |
|
| These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This web site is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. |
|
