Have you ever heard about premature ejaculation? Anorgasmia? If so, you may have thought that it is a topic for adults, actually is not so.
Sexual disorders are all those dysfunction that restrict, prevent or alter the satisfaction during sexual intercourse and they could occur at all ages. In fact, some disorders could appear from the beginning of sexual activity.
The most common sexual disorder among males are premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction, while among women the most frequent ones are sexual interest and arousal disorders, orgasm disorders, and pain/penetration disorders.
Premature Ejaculation: Premature ejaculation occurs when this happens before the man desire and without being able to be postponed. The disorder usually makes sexual relationship too short and not satisfying for both partners. Usually ejaculation occurs after a minimal or absent stimulation, immediately after penetration and in some cases even before.
Erectile dysfunction: erectile dysfunction consists of the man inability to achieve and/or to obtain an sufficient erection to permit penetration. This disorder can also be associated with advanced age or presence of chronic degenerative diseases (diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardio-vascular and neurological diseases).
Interest and arousal disorder: these disorders are characterized by a lack of initiative to want sex and/or difficulty to experience a satisfactory level of sexual arousal to start a sexual intercoruse. It especially affect women, but recently these disorders are more frequent among men, who can experience lack of interest or even aversion to sex.
Disorders of pain/penetration: when women suffer from pain associated with penetration, usually the diagnosis is vaginismus and/or dyspareunia. Vaginismus occurs during sex with an involuntary contraction of the muscles surrounding vagina. You can manifest it in mild form, causing tension and discomfort, or in severe forms totally preventing the penetration. In these cases the same pain causes a lack of lubrication, which in turn tends to make more painful vaginal sex. Vaginismus and dyspareunia are often associated with each other and often occur concomitantly with bladder inflammation (cystitis).
Orgasmic disorder: when time to reach orgasm is too long or orgasm tends to not occur, we can talk about anorgasmia in women and delayed or impossible ejaculation in men. Anorgasmia occurs when women do not reach orgasm even after prolonged sexual stimulation. Delayed ejaculation occurs when man can reach orgasm only after a very long intercourse compared to what he wants.
According to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), a diagnosis for “sexual disorder” is appropriate when difficulties cause a significant stress that will last at least 6 months. If disorder does not cause stress in individual, diagnosis of sexual dysfunction is not appropriate. Disorders also should not be dependent on other psychological or psychiatric disorder nor should it be the consequence of a particularly difficult relationship.
There some factors that may be associated with sexual disorders:
1) factors related to partners
2) factors related to relationships
3) individual vulnerability factors
4) cultural or religious factors
5) relevant medical factors related to other diseases prognosis and treatment.
Fear of judgement and shame feelings often make people reluctant in talking with the doctor about his/her sexual dysfunction. So people tend tends to avoid sex with negative consequences that can also deal with couple relationship. However, all these disorders there are treatable with the possibility to recover a satisfying sex life.
WHO – Department of Reproductive Health and Research (RHR)
http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/en/
DSM-5