Post One in Sexual Dysfunction Series

Female sexual dysfunction has been in the news a lot in the last few years. In March 1998, a little blue pill was introduced that revolutionized our world. We now had erections on demand, and things were never quite the same.

Thanks to the miracles of modern pharmacology, droopy dicks could now be stiffened  into cyborgcock perfection. And men everywhere heaved a huge sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the female partners of such men were often less thrilled than their husbands. Wives, who had been perfectly happy to roll over and go to sleep, were now expected to display the libidinal equivalent of their mate's newly rejuvenated joystick. And Viagra made it glaringly apparent that, in many cases, they weren't up to the task.

Naturally, within days of Viagra's auspicious debut, supporters were clamoring for a female version - a pill that would magically cure women's sexual ails. But just what is female sexual dysfunction?  And more importantly, how do you get rid of it?

Female sexual dysfunction is a clinical disorder described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) - a classification system used by mental health authorities to diagnose dysfunction. The current edition used by most counselors and psychologists is the DSM-IV-TR, which describes sexual dysfunction as:

" ... a disturbance in the processes that characterize the sexual response cycle or by pain associated with sexual intercourse. The sexual response cycle can be divided into the following phases:

1. Desire: This phase consists of fantasies about sexual activity and the desire to have sexual activity.

2. Excitement: This phase consists of a subjective sense of sexual pleasure and accompanying physiological changes. The major changes in the male consist of penile tumescence and erection. The major changes in the female consist of vasocongestion in the pelvis, vaginal lubrication and expansion, and swelling of the external genitalia.

3. Orgasm: This phase consists of a peaking of sexual pleasure, with release of sexual tension and rhythmic contraction of the perineal muscles and reproductive organs. In the male, there is the sensation of ejaculatory inevitability, which is followed by ejaculation of semen. In the female, there are contractions (not always subjectively experienced as such) of the wall of the outer third of the vagina. In both genders, the anal sphincter rhythmically contracts.

4. Resolution: This phase consists of a sense of muscular relaxation and general well-being. During this phase, males are physiologically refractory to further erection and orgasm for a variable period of time. In contrast, females may be able to respond to additional stimulation almost immediately."

 According to the DSM-IV-TR, sexual dysfunction can occur at any one or more of these phases, but only if a particular individual is distressed about his or her sexual response. If they couldn't care less; they don't have a problem. The manual also takes into consideration such factors as age, "adequacy" of stimulation (i.e., you're not dysfunctional if your partner treats your clit like a doorbell), and whether or not the problem is ongoing.

Dysfunctions are furthered codified by subtypes such as: 

Lifelong- has always been an issue in an individual's sex life. (You've never been able to orgasm, get aroused, or had any interest in sex etc.).



Acquired - has only occurred after a period of "normal' sexual functioning. (You could get off fine until menopause, or until your husband blew the family nest egg on Chia pet stocks).

Generalized- the problem is not limited to certain situations or partners. (You're never horny under any circumstance, sex has always been painful etc.). 


Situational - the problem is limited to certain situations or partners (Bob did for you, but not Paul).


This is the basic criteria used to diagnose someone with a sexual dysfunction. Notice I said "someone" this is a  gender neutral classification system, which is a point of contention for critics of female sexual dysfunction. There are a number of other issues as well.  This my first post in a series I will be doing on this topic. My upcoming posts will look at just why female sexual dysfunction remains such a controversial and confusing topic, what is female sexual dysfunction, why there hasn't been a female Viagra approved yet, and whether this is a "real" medical disorder or a pharmaceutical hoax designed to dupe an unsuspecting public out of some major bucks.