SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION:
It is the consistent, recurring difficulty experienced by an individual during any phase of the sexual cycle that prevents the individual or couple from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual activity. In other words, when anything hinders an individual from experiencing full sexual satisfaction, is a form of sexual dysfunction.
A condition is said to be a dysfunction when it has been going on consistently for six months and also affects one’s functionality, productivity, performance, relationship, and self-esteem causing a form of distress.
Research has it that 43% of women and 31% of men have some degree of sexual dysfunction.
PHASES OF SEXUAL CYCLE INCLUDE;
-Desire Phase,
-Arousal Phase,
-Climax Phase,
-Resolution Phase.
DESIRE: To have intercourse the first thing that happens is to have the desire. The desire to get down and have the feeling to have sex with one’s partner. For a lot of people, this is the stage of their dysfunction.
AROUSAL: This is the point where an individual is touched, told something sweet and romantic to get the individual horny, wet, excited. If such an individual doesn’t experience any of these then the dysfunction is at the arousal phase.
CLIMAX: When men experience a delay in ejaculation and women can’t reach orgasm then there’s a dysfunction at the climax phase.
RESOLUTION: When there is a feeling of inadequacy after an act of lovemaking, such as the man sleeping off immediately after the sexual act.
Most dysfunction is rooted in our cognitive background mostly from childhood because sex actually starts from the mind and when the mind is attacked the genitals respond in like manner.
TYPES OF SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
-Gender dysphoria (gender identity disorder), -Sexual disorder,
-Paraphilic disorder.
GENDER DYSPHORIA: This is a kind of disorder, distress, the difficulty experienced by individuals where their biological assign sex does not align with their gender identity. In other words, these are people that feel they are trapped in another person’s body. For example, someone who has a vagina might feel like a man who is been trapped in a female body.
People with gender dysphoria have about 71% chances of developing other forms of disorder if not treated or attended to. Research also shows that it is more common in boys than in girls and it starts to manifest at age four (4). Though it doesn’t need to affect individual sexual identity, in a lot of cases it affects their choice of partner.
CAUSES OF GENDER DYSPHORIA;
COGNITIVE: This has to do with the individual thought pattern.
PSYCHOSOCIAL: This is a result of nurturing; societal conditioning, parental upbringing.
BIOLOGICAL: Occurs as a result of a mother’s exposure to certain medication that produces certain hormones. There is also a school of thought that believes it can be hereditary and, that some genetic association can be responsible.
One other factor responsible for gender dysphoria is when a mother is expecting a particular gender and gives birth to another. This very common among men when the mother is actually expecting a female child.
Gender dysphoria manifest in children they are constantly saying they are the opposite gender even though they have the physical trait of another as their biological assign gender. They also start preferring friends of the opposite gender reject clothes, toys and can go as far as wanting to get rid of their genitals, and with all of this happening it can cause them to experience a lot of distress as they grow into puberty.
In adults, they begin to feel that their true identity, who they think they are, is not aligning with who they are biological. Some begin to build disgust with their genitals such that they don’t feel like showering, changing their clothes, having sex, or even touching their genitals.
For someone with gender dysphoria talking to a counselor, sex therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist is a form of treatment even though the purpose is not to change the person but to address the mental issue the condition could have caused for the individual.
SEXUAL DISORDERS: This is defined as a group of dysfunction caused by a person’s inability to fully engage and derive pleasure from sex.
TYPES OF SEXUAL DISORDERS
-Male hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) and female interest/female arousal disorder, -erectile disorder,
-premature ejaculation,
-delayed ejaculation and,
-female orgasmic or orgasmia disorder.
MALE HYPOACTIVE SEXUAL DESIRE DISORDER (HSDD) AND FEMALE INTEREST/FEMALE AROUSAL DISORDER: This is a kind of disorder characterized by a lack of reduced interest in sexual activity as well as a significant reduction of sexual thoughts.
A man with HSDD doesn’t think about sex often, doesn’t show interest in sex. According to statistics done in the United States of America, approximately fifteen percent (15%) of adult males are expected to have sexual disorders.
Any individual with hypoactive sexual disorder (HSDD) will have a low sexual drive, delay in frequency, or access to orgasm during sexual activities; they also have the tendency for premature ejaculation.
CAUSES OF HSDD BOTH IN MALE AND FEMALE:
BIOLOGICAL; includes the breakdown of the nervous system and also of the vascular system, low level of testosterone, heavy alcohol consumption, depression, very heavy smoking, reaction to certain medications. For women, it could be a sign of menopause.
PSYCHOLOGICAL; could include early childhood introduction to the topic of sex as a negative thing thereby conditioning the mind of the child until adulthood, sexual abuse, religious belief, relationship problems which could lead to anxiety and poor communication. Other causes could be a result of mental health disorder, low physiological arousal, stress, and exhaustion.
SOLUTIONS: Majorly talk to a medical doctor, a gynecologist who could do hormonal procedures, or a neurologist. if there is an underlining psychiatric issue also a psychiatrist who is a medical doctor will be of immense help. The need for a psychotherapist like a sex therapist or counselor is also important. Need to book an appointment with a professional Sex Therapist? Click HERE
