So its a regular day in your bedroom, or wherever you might feel led to get it popping and your vaginal engine just doesn’t want to seem to get revved up or worse it doesn’t even want to start. You just may be dealing with female sexual dysfunction…
What Is It?
FSD or Female Sexual Dysfunction comes in many forms. Decreased or low libido is characterized as; Low Sex drive or lack of sexual desire.
You may have found yourself wondering what’s wrong with me?
Absolutely nothing. Decreased libido is a common among women of all ages. It is estimated that as many as 43% of all women suffer from some form of sexual dysfunction.
What Causes Decreased or low libido?
There can be a number of causes, some of the most common are:
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Hormonal
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Birth control pills, menopause, etc
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Psychological/emotional
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Depression, stress, anxiety
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History of sexual abuse
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Partner/Relationship problems
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Medical
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Certain Prescription drugs
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Major organ failure
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High Blood pressure
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Social
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Religious or societal expectations
Diagnosis
Your doctor has many tools to assess your sexual desire, but here a few questions to help you get started*:
Rate your responses on a scale of 1-6 with: 1-greater, 2-normal, 3-minimally diminished, 4-moderately diminished, 5-markedly diminished, 6-totally absent
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How has your interest in sex been over the past month?
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How has your ability to get sexually aroused or excited been over the past month?
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How has your ability to achieve orgasm been over the past month?
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How has your ability to get and maintain an erection been over the past month?
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How would you rate your overall sexual satisfaction over the past month?
*2 or higher on any individual question or a total of ten or more overall may be indicative of some degree of sexual dysfunction but only your doctor can provide you with a diagnosis.
What can you do about it?
One of the first important steps is talking to your doctor. He/she can help you determine the best first steps based on the most likely cause of your decreased libido.
Some of your options for treatment include:
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Psychotherapy-both traditional and sexual
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Exercise
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Massage
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Acupuncture
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Meditation
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traditional or sexual
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orgasmic or tantric
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Supplementation
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L-arginine
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Maca root
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Yohimbe
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Compound formulations
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Clitoral/vaginal gels or creams
What does each of these options have to offer?
Psychotherapy: Can help teach coping techniques as well as resolve past or present issues related to sexual dysfunction. May be especially helpful for victims of sexual assault, and individuals suffering from depression or other psychological disorders.
Exercise: research has shown that regular cardiovascular exercise can potentially increase libido by increasing blood flow to the genitalia
Massage: Can decrease stress and muscle tension that may be inhibiting sexual desire.
Acupuncture: The specific mode of action is unknown but research has shown it can increase blood flow to the genitals as well as decrease stress
Meditation: A regular practice of meditation can decrease stress, and also helps train the mind to focus so that one can learn to be in the moment in sexual situations. Tantric or orgasmic meditation may increase one’s ability to not only be present during sex but also to enjoy a deeper connection with themselves and their partner enhancing the sexual experience.
Supplementation: Research has shown that Maca, Yohimbe, and L-arginine effectively increase sexual arousal and desire in men and women. The increase blood flow to the genitals as well. In addition to these individually there are various compound formulations that contain these and other Herbs as well. Vaginal gels or creams may also be helpful by increasing blood flow directly to the clitoris and thereby increasing desire. For women with HSV creams with L-Arginine are not recommended as they can increase chances of an outbreak.
A benefit to each of these options listed above is they are of low risk. Before beginning any new supplementation or exercise practices please take time to confer with your physician to ensure it is safe for you based on your medical history and risk factors.