The new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association has relabeled pain with partial vaginal entry, during intercourse, and after intercourse as Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder. It is common among women, and many who experience pain have done so since their first intercourse experience (Coady & Fish, 2011; Donaldson & Meana, 2011). When it […]

Painful intercourse in men is unusual but does occur. If the foreskin of an uncircum­cised male is too tight, he can experience pain during an erection. Under such circum­stances minor surgery may be indicated. Inadequate hygiene of an uncircumcised penis can result in the accumulation of smegma beneath the foreskin, causing irritation of the glans […]

A final orgasmic difficulty we discuss is faking orgasms—pretend­ing to experience orgasm without actually doing so. Some men fake orgasm, and a growing number of young, healthy men whose com­pulsive viewing of pornography make arousal with a partner diffi­cult are faking orgasm (Robinson, 2011; Rothbart, 2011). However, faking orgasm is typically discussed in reference to […]

The most common male sexual difficulty is premature ejaculation (PE) (Strassberg, 2007) . Almost all men ejaculate quickly during their first intercourse, which may be dis­appointing but should not be seen as a sexual problem unless it persists after more expe­riences. The International Society for Sexual Medicine defines premature ejaculation as a pattern of quick […]

The term male orgasmic disorder, also referred to as inhibited ejaculation, generally refers to the inability of a man to ejaculate during sexual activity with a partner (Sand — strom & Fugl-Meyer, 2007). Masturbation is most often the preferred method for men with male orgasmic disorder to experience orgasm (Robbins-Cherry et al., 2011). Eight percent […]

Most sex therapists believe that women who enjoy intercourse and experience orgasm in some way other than during coitus do not have a sexual problem (Hamilton, 2002; LoPiccolo, 2000). Many more women experience orgasm from masturbation, manual stimulation by a partner, and oral sex than women who experience it during inter­course (Fugl-Meyer et al., 2006). […]

A fear of sex and a compelling desire to avoid sexual situations are considered a sexual aversion disorder. Sexual aversion can range from feelings of discomfort, repulsion, and disgust to an extreme irrational fear of sexual activity. Even the thought of sexual contact can result in intense anxiety and panic. A person who experiences sexual […]

Sexual partners usually have discrepancies in their preferences for frequency, type, and timing of sexual activities, often referred to clinically as desire discrep­ancy (Willoughby & Vitas, 2011). A couple’s incompatibility in terms of these preferences can contribute to sexual dissatisfaction, even when either of their preferences is, in itself, not a sexual problem (A. Smith […]

In this section, we discuss inhibited sexual desire, desire discrepancy, and sexual aversion. Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is the absence or minimal experi­ence of sexual thoughts, fantasies, and interest prior to sexual activity, as well as a lack of sexual desire during the sexual experience (Basson et al., 2004). Until […]

In this section, we consider some of the specific problems that people encounter with desire, excitement, orgasm, and pain during intercourse. In reality, the line between “nor­mal” and a “disorder” is not clearly defined in clinical practice (Althof et al., 2005). For example, how many times would a man need to have difficulty with his […]