Sexual Difficulties

In all relationships there are certain common themes. Sexual desire is commonly unbalanced amongst couples. One partner typically wants more sex than another. This is usually one of the first compromises people make for one another. The difficulties described here are some of the most common sexual problems men and women experience.

Sexual Desire Disorders

Sexual desire disorders ae the most prevalent, and most commonly seen by therapists. Unfortunately, few experts agree about the role physiological, psychologica, and intrapersonal factors play in these difficulties. An individualistic approach to treating these difficulties is commonly agreed upon by clinicians.Both individual and couples counseling is commonly indicated. Desire disorders are also among the most difficult to define or diagnose. For some, a lack of desire is manifested by a failure to initiate sexual expression, whereas for others, it is the lack of reactivity/responsivity to initiation that characterizes the disorder.

Dyspareunia is a female disorder that involves pain or discomfort during intercourse most frequently associated with specific organic or medical etiology (e.g. vaginitis, endometriosis). Vaginismus is an invlountary spasmodic reflexive contraction of the muscles controlling the vaginal entrance, which close up preventing penetration during intercourse. This disorder is rare, and the most predictive successful outcome of women with this problem in the nature of the supportive factors that facilitate toleration of change. Anorgasmia is the inability of a women to have an orgasm during intercourse.

Male sexual desire disorders include premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction, or impotence. Premature ejaculation is when a man ejaculates before he would like, and impotence is when a man fails to achieve an erection. All sexual disorders, whether male or female, or categorized as primary, secondary, or situational. A primary disorder means the individual has never been able to achieve X, (e.g. an orgasm for women or an erection for men). A secondary disorder mean the person could do X at one point, but no longer can (e.g. women had an orgasm but can't anymore, a man had an erection but can no longer). A situational disorder is one that occurs only in certain situations or with certain people.