Gaining New Understanding of Women’s Sexual Responses
Clinical researchers are finally validating what women have known intuitively for decades: Men and women have very different sexual responses.
According to Women’s Care physician Doug Austin, MD, the new thinking is evolving partly in response to development of Viagra to alleviate sexual dysfunction in men. "Some believe that if Viagra works for men, it should also help sexual dysfunction in women. But the truth is that it doesn’t, because physical arousal for women is much less based in physiology than it is in men."
Dr. Austin notes that in on-going relationships, a woman’s sexual arousal is greatly influenced by her emotional intimacy with her partner and her desire to deepen that intimacy. Women describe wanting to increase emotional closeness, tenderness, commitment and tolerance to show their partners that they have been missed, physically or emotionally. These intimacy-based factors motivate women to become sexually aroused. Dr. Rosemary Basson of the University of British Columbia has proposed a model of women’s sexual response that reflects the key role of emotional intimacy and sexual stimuli.
There’s an important message for women in this new understanding of female libido, says Dr. Austin. "A lack of spontaneous sexual drive in women isn’t a sign of dysfunction," he explains. Instead, he says, a woman’s arousal is often triggered by deliberately-sought stimuli, including behavior between partners, direct physical stimulation, music, conversation or other influences.
In general, sexual dysfunction in women is complex, and often has more to do with relationships than physiology. A woman who is unsatisfied with her sensualness should discuss the issue with her gynecologist. The gynecologist may test her hormonal levels, inquire about her relationships, and conduct a physical exam. "In a few specialized circumstances, there are pharmacological and hormone therapies which may work," notes Dr. Austin. "But generally, issues around relationships are becoming even more important in understanding women’s sexual responses."
According to Women’s Care physician Doug Austin, MD, the new thinking is evolving partly in response to development of Viagra to alleviate sexual dysfunction in men. "Some believe that if Viagra works for men, it should also help sexual dysfunction in women. But the truth is that it doesn’t, because physical arousal for women is much less based in physiology than it is in men."
Dr. Austin notes that in on-going relationships, a woman’s sexual arousal is greatly influenced by her emotional intimacy with her partner and her desire to deepen that intimacy. Women describe wanting to increase emotional closeness, tenderness, commitment and tolerance to show their partners that they have been missed, physically or emotionally. These intimacy-based factors motivate women to become sexually aroused. Dr. Rosemary Basson of the University of British Columbia has proposed a model of women’s sexual response that reflects the key role of emotional intimacy and sexual stimuli.
There’s an important message for women in this new understanding of female libido, says Dr. Austin. "A lack of spontaneous sexual drive in women isn’t a sign of dysfunction," he explains. Instead, he says, a woman’s arousal is often triggered by deliberately-sought stimuli, including behavior between partners, direct physical stimulation, music, conversation or other influences.
In general, sexual dysfunction in women is complex, and often has more to do with relationships than physiology. A woman who is unsatisfied with her sensualness should discuss the issue with her gynecologist. The gynecologist may test her hormonal levels, inquire about her relationships, and conduct a physical exam. "In a few specialized circumstances, there are pharmacological and hormone therapies which may work," notes Dr. Austin. "But generally, issues around relationships are becoming even more important in understanding women’s sexual responses."
