Global research on sexuality indicates that equality of gender roles is associated with men’s and women’s sexual satisfaction. In the male-dominated cultures in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, significantly fewer people report that they have satisfying sex­ual lives than people in the Western world (Laumann et al., 2006). As greater equal­ity between men and […]

Culture strongly influences both the way we feel about our sexuality and the way we express it. In this section, we examine some influences in Western society—particularly in the United States—that affect our sexuality and can contribute to sexual problems. Negative Childhood Learning We learn many of our basic, important attitudes about sexuality during childhood. […]

Individuals and couples can best cope with the sexual limitations of illness or disability by accepting those limitations and developing the options that remain. For example, couples can minimize the effects of pain by planning sexual activity at optimal times of the day, using methods of pain control such as moist heat or pain medication, […]

Major disabilities, such as spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, blindness, and deafness, have widely varying effects on sexual responsiveness. Some people with these disabilities can maintain or restore satisfying sex lives; others find that their sexual expression is perma­nently reduced or impaired by their difficulties. In the following sections, we look at some of these […]

At least 200 prescription and nonprescription medications have negative effects on sexual desire and/or functioning (Finger et al., 2000). Research indicates that even use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may contribute to erectile dysfunction (Gleason et al., 2011). As much as 25% of cases of ED are related to medication side effects (Miller, 2000). Health-care practitioners […]

Many of us will confront chronic illness in ourselves or our partners at some point in our lives. The illness may impair the nerves, hormones, or blood flow essential to sexual functioning. Some medications and side effects of treatments for the illness can also negatively affect sexual interest and response. Any accompanying pain and fatigue […]

Good health is closely tied to sexual health. A healthy diet and exercise that result in a normal weight form the foundation of sex drive and functioning (Frisch et al, 2011). For example, obese men and women tend to report low sexual quality of lif (0stbye, 2011). Body fat, especially around the abdomen, reduces testosterone […]

Physiological factors often play a role in sexual problems, so it is often wise to have a general physical and a gynecological or urological exam to help rule out such causes. Hormonal, vascular, and neurological problems can contribute to sexual disorders (Beckman et al., 2006). Unfortunately, research has shown that only about one third of […]

In the following paragraphs, we examine some of the physiological, cultural, individual, and relational factors that can contribute to sexual difficulties. Significant interaction among these factors also occurs. For example, any degree of physiological impairment can make a person’s sexual response and functioning more vulnerable to disruption by negative emotions or situations. Thus a man […]

Vaginismus (vah-juh-NIZ-mus) is characterized by strong involuntary contractions of the muscles in the outer third of the vagina. These contractions make attempts to insert a penis into the vagina extremely uncomfortable or painful for a woman. The painful contractions of vaginismus are a conditioned, involuntary response, usually preceded by a history of painful intercourse (Van […]