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Sexual Problems in Women
The main risk factors for sexual problems are also those that affect a woman's sexual function and satisfaction. These include:2
- A woman's mental and emotional well-being.
- Her sexual relationship.
- Her partner's sexual function.
A woman's physical well-being is also important. Being sexually active with a partner or through masturbation helps maintain vaginal health. And having regular sexual intercourse helps preserve vaginal elasticity and keeps vaginal tissues from shrinking.
Some physical risk factors include a current or long-term history of:
- Exhaustion, often from round-the-clock care of a baby or small children and/or parenting and having a job.
- Normal hormonal changes linked to pregnancy, recovery from pregnancy, menopause, or aging.
- Taking certain medicines that decrease a woman's desire for sex.
- Health problems that cause pain during sex or decrease
a woman's ability to engage in and enjoy sexual activity. Such health problems
include:
- Neurologic diseases such as stroke, spinal cord injury, and Parkinson's disease.
- Surgery that affects a woman's pelvic organs or genitals.
- Endocrine diseases such as diabetes or liver disease.
- Peripheral arterial disease.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: March 10, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine Deborah A. Penava, BA, MD, FRCSC, MPH - Obstetrics and Gynecology | |
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