Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2001 · 227 citations · 8 references
MedicinePharmacologyPharmacotherapyBehavioral PharmacologyPsychopharmacologyWomen's HealthAndrogen TherapyHormonal InfluencesPsychostimulant PharmacologyReproductive PharmacologySexual DysfunctionSexual Well-beingAndrogen Therapy In WomenAndrogen-related Libido ChangesFemale Sexual Arousal DisorderHormonal Correlates Of LibidoPhosphodiesterase SignalingPsychophysiological ArousalSexual Dysfunction DrugStimulus Enhancement
Women’s sexual desire is largely responsive rather than spontaneous, and motivation to seek and respond to sexual stimuli is crucial yet complex, especially in ongoing relationships where emotional intimacy drives desire, while sexual arousal depends more on mental excitement than on objective genital blood flow changes. The study aims to evaluate whether drugs—including androgen replacement therapy—can increase women’s spontaneous sexual wanting or arousability when psychological factors are addressed. The authors propose that drugs such as androgen replacement therapy and phosphodiesterase inhibitors may enhance desire or arousability, provided that psychological factors and genital engorgement status are carefully assessed. Psychophysiologic studies indicate that mental excitement, rather than genital blood flow, is commonly the key factor in women presenting with arousal disorder.
A large component of women's sexual desire is responsive rather than spontaneous. Therefore, women's motivation and ability to find and respond to sexual stimuli to experience sexual arousal and subsequent sexual desire is crucial, but complex. In ongoing relationships, a woman's motivation appears to be largely influenced by her emotional intimacy with her partner and her wish to enhance it. Drugs (including androgen replacement therapy) aimed at increasing women's spontaneous sexual wanting (less characteristic of women in long-term relationships) or their arousability may have a role if other psychologic factors affecting arousability are addressed in tandem. A woman's sexual arousal is composite and complex, correlating well with how mentally exciting she finds the sexual stimulus and its context and poorly with objective genital blood flow changes. Drugs aimed at increasing the latter, including phosphodiesterase inhibitors, may have a role if there is prior careful enquiry as to whether genital engorgement is present but not attended to or is physically absent. Psychophysiologic studies to date suggest the former is common in women presenting with arousal disorder.
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Sexual Dysfunction in the United States
Edward O. Laumann, Anthony Paik, Raymond C. Rosen · JAMA · 1999 · 5.1K citations
Medicine, Urology, Infertility +10