Information about Inhibited Sexual Desire
Inhibited sexual desire (ISD), sometimes called frigidity, sexual aversion, sexual apathy or hypoactive sexual desire, refers to a low level of sexual desire and interest manifested by a failure to initiate or be responsive to a partner's initiation of sexual activity. ISD may be a primary condition (where the person has never felt much sexual desire or interest), or secondary (where the person used to possess sexual desire, but no longer has interest).
ISD may also be either situational to the partner (where he/she has interest in other persons, but not toward the partner), or it may be general (where he/she has a lack of sexual interest in anyone). In the extreme form of sexual aversion, the person not only lacks sexual desire, but may also find sex repulsive, revolting, and distasteful.
Sometimes, rather than being inhibited, there may simply be a discrepancy in sexual interest levels between two partners, both of whom have interest levels within the normal range.
Communication problems, lack of affection that is not associated with continuing into sexual intercourse, power struggles and conflicts, and a lack of time alone together are common factors. ISD may also be associated with a very restrictive upbringing concerning sex, negative attitudes toward sex, or negative or traumatic sexual experiences (such as incest, or sexual abuse).
Physical illnesses and some medications may also contribute to ISD, particularly when they produce fatigue, pain, or general feelings of malaise. Hormone deficiencies may occasionally be implicated. Psychological conditions such as depression and excessive stress may inhibit sexual interest. Disturbed dietary mineral intakes may undermine sexual desire.
Commonly overlooked factors include insomnia or inadequate amounts of sleep, resulting in fatigue. ISD may also be associated with other sexual dysfunctions, and sometimes may be caused by them. For example, the woman who is unable to have orgasm or has pain with intercourse, or the man who has erection problems (impotence) or retarded ejaculation, may lose interest in sex because it is commonly associated with failure or is not very pleasurable. As women age beyond their child-bearing years, their interest in sex may begin to decline. This may lead to frigidity. The frigidity may cause problems in a relationship where, typically, the male partner continues to seek an active sexual experience with his partner.
Individuals who were victims of childhood sexual abuse or rape, and persons whose marriages are lacking in emotional intimacy are particularly at risk of ISD.
Declining sex is sometimes one of the few areas where someone who feels dominated can feel in control. Developing skills in conflict resolution can be helpful to work through differences in nonsexual areas as well as sexual.
Communication training in talking on a feeling level, showing empathic understanding, resolving differences in a manner that refers to emotions is also helpful. When problems with sexual arousal or performance are factors in decreasing libido, these sexual dysfunctions will need to be directly addressed.
A new drug, Bremelanotide (formerly PT-141), has been shown to directly increase sexual desire in men as well as women. This compound is currently in clinical trials.
Sex is something that, for most couples, either bonds their relationship closer together, or something that becomes a wedge that gradually drives them apart. When one partner is significantly less interested in sex than their companion, and this has become a source of conflict and friction, it is recommended that professional help is sought before the relationship becomes further strained .
ISD may also be either situational to the partner (where he/she has interest in other persons, but not toward the partner), or it may be general (where he/she has a lack of sexual interest in anyone). In the extreme form of sexual aversion, the person not only lacks sexual desire, but may also find sex repulsive, revolting, and distasteful.
Sometimes, rather than being inhibited, there may simply be a discrepancy in sexual interest levels between two partners, both of whom have interest levels within the normal range.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
ISD is a very common sexual disorder. The most common cause of ISD seems to be relationship problems wherein one partner does not feel emotionally intimate or close to their mate.Communication problems, lack of affection that is not associated with continuing into sexual intercourse, power struggles and conflicts, and a lack of time alone together are common factors. ISD may also be associated with a very restrictive upbringing concerning sex, negative attitudes toward sex, or negative or traumatic sexual experiences (such as incest, or sexual abuse).
Physical illnesses and some medications may also contribute to ISD, particularly when they produce fatigue, pain, or general feelings of malaise. Hormone deficiencies may occasionally be implicated. Psychological conditions such as depression and excessive stress may inhibit sexual interest. Disturbed dietary mineral intakes may undermine sexual desire.
Commonly overlooked factors include insomnia or inadequate amounts of sleep, resulting in fatigue. ISD may also be associated with other sexual dysfunctions, and sometimes may be caused by them. For example, the woman who is unable to have orgasm or has pain with intercourse, or the man who has erection problems (impotence) or retarded ejaculation, may lose interest in sex because it is commonly associated with failure or is not very pleasurable. As women age beyond their child-bearing years, their interest in sex may begin to decline. This may lead to frigidity. The frigidity may cause problems in a relationship where, typically, the male partner continues to seek an active sexual experience with his partner.
Individuals who were victims of childhood sexual abuse or rape, and persons whose marriages are lacking in emotional intimacy are particularly at risk of ISD.
Signs and tests
The majority of the time, medical evaluation and lab tests will not reveal a physical cause. However, testosterone is the hormone responsible for creating sexual desire in both men and women. It may be useful to check testosterone levels, particularly in men who have ISD. Blood for such lab tests in men should be drawn before 10:00 a.m., when male hormone levels are at their highest. Interviews with a specialist in sex therapy are more likely to reveal possible causes.Treatment
Treatment must be individualized to the factors that may be inhibiting sexual interest. Often, there may be several such factors. Some couples will need relationship enhancement work or marital therapy prior to focusing directly on enhancing sexual activity.Declining sex is sometimes one of the few areas where someone who feels dominated can feel in control. Developing skills in conflict resolution can be helpful to work through differences in nonsexual areas as well as sexual.
Communication training in talking on a feeling level, showing empathic understanding, resolving differences in a manner that refers to emotions is also helpful. When problems with sexual arousal or performance are factors in decreasing libido, these sexual dysfunctions will need to be directly addressed.
A new drug, Bremelanotide (formerly PT-141), has been shown to directly increase sexual desire in men as well as women. This compound is currently in clinical trials.
Expectations (prognosis)
Disorders of sexual desire are often among the more difficult sexual problems to treat, and seem to be especially more challenging to treat in men. Consequently, referral should be sought to a specialist in sex and marital therapy.Complications
When both partners have low sexual desire, the issue of sexual interest level will not be problematic in the relationship. Low sexual desire, however, may be a barometer of the emotional health of the relationship. In other cases where there is an excellent and loving relationship, low sexual desire may cause a partner to repeatedly feel hurt and rejected, leading to eventual feelings of resentment and promoting eventual emotional distance.Sex is something that, for most couples, either bonds their relationship closer together, or something that becomes a wedge that gradually drives them apart. When one partner is significantly less interested in sex than their companion, and this has become a source of conflict and friction, it is recommended that professional help is sought before the relationship becomes further strained .
Prevention
- Reserve time for nonsexual intimacy with one's partner. Couples who reserve weekly talk time and time for a weekly date alone without the kids will maintain a closer relationship and are more likely to feel sexual interest.
- Detach sex and affection, so that neither person is afraid to be affectionate on a daily basis, fearing that it will be interpreted as an invitation to proceed to intercourse.
- Reading books or taking courses in couple communication, or reading books about massage may also encourage feelings of closeness. For some individuals, reading novels or viewing movies with romantic or sexual content may also serve to encourage sexual desire.
- Regularly reserving "prime time," before exhaustion sets in, for both talking and sexual intimacy may encourage closeness and sexual desire. Far too often, couples do not make time for each other earlier in the evening when they have the energy for physical intimacy.
See also
External links
- University of California, Santa Barbara's SexInfo information on the causes, symptoms, and treatments of Hypoactive (Low) Sexual Desire
- NIH site on Inhibited sexual desire
Psychoanalysis
Constructs
Psychosexual development
Psychosocial development
Conscious • Preconscious • Unconscious
Id, ego, and super-ego
Libido • Drive
Transference • Sublimation • Resistance
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Constructs
Psychosexual development
Psychosocial development
Conscious • Preconscious • Unconscious
Id, ego, and super-ego
Libido • Drive
Transference • Sublimation • Resistance
..... Click the link for more information.
Sexual dysfunction
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F52
ICD-9 302.7
Sexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction (see also sexual function) is difficulty during any stage of the sexual act (which includes desire, arousal, orgasm, and
..... Click the link for more information.
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F52
ICD-9 302.7
Sexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction (see also sexual function) is difficulty during any stage of the sexual act (which includes desire, arousal, orgasm, and
..... Click the link for more information.
Communication is a process that allows organisms to exchange information by several methods. Communication requires that all parties understand a common language that is exchanged with each other.
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Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event. When that trauma leads to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, damage can be measured in physical changes inside the brain and to brain chemistry, which affect the person's
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This article has been tagged since July 2007.
This article has been tagged since July 2007.
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Sexual abuse (also referred to as molestation) is defined as the forcing of undesired sexual acts by one person to another. The term incest is defined as sexual abuse between family members, and the euphemism "bad touch" is sometimes used to describe such abuse.
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Fatigue
Classifications and external resources
ICD-10 R 53.
ICD-9 780.7
DiseasesDB 30079
MedlinePlus 003088
MeSH D005221 The word fatigue
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Classifications and external resources
ICD-10 R 53.
ICD-9 780.7
DiseasesDB 30079
MedlinePlus 003088
MeSH D005221 The word fatigue
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Pain is a sensation transmitted from sensory nerves through the spinal cord and to the sensory area of the cerebrum, where the sensation is perceived. It is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional
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Dietary minerals are the chemical elements required by living organisms, other than the four elements carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen which are present in common organic molecules.
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MeSH D007319
Insomnia is a sleeping disorder characterized by the inability to fall asleep and/or the inability to remain asleep for a reasonable amount of time.
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Insomnia is a sleeping disorder characterized by the inability to fall asleep and/or the inability to remain asleep for a reasonable amount of time.
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MeSH D007172 Erectile dysfunction (ED or (male) impotence) is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis.
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Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the penis, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the result of sexual stimulation, which may include prostate stimulation. Rarely, it is due to prostatic disease.
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Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid.
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Psychoanalysis
Constructs
Psychosexual development
Psychosocial development
Conscious • Preconscious • Unconscious
Id, ego, and super-ego
Libido • Drive
Transference • Sublimation • Resistance
..... Click the link for more information.
Constructs
Psychosexual development
Psychosocial development
Conscious • Preconscious • Unconscious
Id, ego, and super-ego
Libido • Drive
Transference • Sublimation • Resistance
..... Click the link for more information.
Bremelanotide (formerly PT-141) is the generic term for a new medication for use in treating sexual dysfunction in men (erectile dysfunction or impotence) as well as sexual dysfunction in women (sexual arousal disorder). It is the only known synthetic aphrodisiac.
..... Click the link for more information.
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The neutrality of this article's title and/or subject matter is disputed.
This is a dispute over the neutrality of viewpoints implied by the title, or the subject matter within its scope, rather than the actual facts stated.
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This is a dispute over the neutrality of viewpoints implied by the title, or the subject matter within its scope, rather than the actual facts stated.
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Erotophobia is a term used by psychologists to describe sexuality on a personality scale. Erotophobes score high on one end of the scale that is characterized by expressions of guilt and fear about sex.
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Sexual dysfunction
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F52
ICD-9 302.7
Sexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction (see also sexual function) is difficulty during any stage of the sexual act (which includes desire, arousal, orgasm, and
..... Click the link for more information.
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F52
ICD-9 302.7
Sexual dysfunction or sexual malfunction (see also sexual function) is difficulty during any stage of the sexual act (which includes desire, arousal, orgasm, and
..... Click the link for more information.
Schizoid personality disorder
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F 601.
ICD-9 301.20
Schizoid personality disorder(SPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary
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Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F 601.
ICD-9 301.20
Schizoid personality disorder(SPD) is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of interest in social relationships, a tendency towards a solitary
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