Sexual Problems in Women Are Rarely Related to Personal Distress

A new study showed that though 40 percent of women, who took part in the study, reported having problems related to sexuality, only 12 percent said their sexual problems are the result of strong personal distress. Scientists asked 32,000 American women between 18 and over 100 years-old.

It is worth mentioning that this is the largest study of its king, being carried out by a physician from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). Jan Shifren, MD, is an associate professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School. She was the one to lead the study. The report will be published in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Shifren mentioned that a lot of women suffer from sexual problems, but most of those problems, which affect the quality of a woman's life, are not linked with personal distress.

"For a sexual concern to be considered a medical problem, it must be associated with distress, so it's important to assess this in both research studies and patient care," the researcher said.

The results of a number of studies and surveys on sexual problems in women showed that about 40 percent of women suffer from low libido or problems with achieving orgasm. But previous studies did not ask about the levels of distress linked with sexual problems in women. The new study included questions regarding a woman's feelings of anger, guilt, frustration and concern. About 43 percent of participants reported problems with sexuality, 39 percent said they had low libido, 26 percent reported having problems linked with arousal and 21 percent of women said they had problems with achieving orgasm. However, only 12 percent said that their sexual problems were linked with personal distress, informed EurekAlert!.

The highest number of sexual problems was reported by women aged over 65, but the same group of women showed the lowest level of distress. Personal distress was mainly reported bywomen aged between 45 and 64. Women aged between 18 and 44 reported the lowest level of distress, as well as the lowest number of problems related to sexuality.

The survey showed that women suffering from depression had more chances of having sexual problems linked with distress.

"Several factors could be behind the lower levels of distress in the oldest group. If their partners also have low desire, it may not be looked on as a problem, or additional health issues could be of greater concern," said Shifren.