Diagnosis and Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction

Hana Yoon

doi:10.5124/jkma.2003.46.1.51

J Korean Med Assoc > Volume 46(1); 2003 > Article

Yoon: Diagnosis and Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction

Continuing Education Column

Journal of the Korean Medical Association

Journal of the Korean Medical Association 2003; 46(1): 51-55.

Published online: January 31, 2003

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2003.46.1.51

Diagnosis and Treatment of Female Sexual Dysfunction

Hana Yoon, M.D.

Department of Urology, Ewha Womans' University College of Medicine, Mokdong Hospital, Korea. wowhana@ewha.ac.kr

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Woman's sexual response is composite and complex. However, recent understanding of the causes of sexual dysfunction in women highlights not only psychological but also organic aspects. Taking patients' medical and sexual history and careful physical examinations are very important to make diagnosis and uncover conditions that cause problems in their sexual activities. Multimodal treatment with good support from the sexual partner is usually essential.

Female sexual dysfunction; Diagnosis; Treatment

References

1. Park K, Goldstein I, Andry C, Siroky MB, Krane RJ, Azadzoi KM. Vasculogenic female sexual dysfunction: the hemodynamic basis for vaginal engorgement and clitoral erectile insufficiency. Int J Impot Res 1997;9:27-37.

2. Goldstein I, Berman J. Vasculogenic female sexual dysfunction: vaginal engorgement and clitoral erectile insufficiency syndromes. Int J Impot res 1998;10:S84-S90.

3. Min KS, O'Conell L, Munarriz R, Huang YH, Choi S, Kim N, et al. Experimental models for the investigation of female sexual function and dysfunction. Int J Impot Res 2001;13:151-156.

4. Berman JR, Berman L, Goldstein I. Female sexual dysfunction: incidence, pathophysiology, evaluation, and treatment options. Urology 1999;54:385-391.

5. Berman JR, Adhikari SP, Goldstein I. Anatomy and physiology of female sexual function and dysfunction. Eur Urol 2000;38:20-29.

6. Guay A. Premenopausal and postmenopausal women with low libido have decreased testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate(DHEA-S) levels. Proceedings of female sexual function forum 3rd annual meeting 2000;Boston: Female sexual function forum. 56.

7. Tuiten A, Van HJ, Koppeschaar H, Bernaards C, Thijssen J, Verbaten R. Time course of effects of testosterone administration on sexual arousal in women. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000;57:149-153.

8. Ayton RA, Darling GM, Murkies AL, Farrell EA, Weisberg E, Selinus I, et al. A comparative study of safety and efficacy of continous low dose estradiol released from a vaginal ring compared with conjugated equine estrogen vaginal cream in the treatment of postmenopausal vaginal atrophy. Br J Obstet Gynaecol 1996;103:351-358.

9. Laan E, Everaerd W. Physiologic measure of vaginal vasocongestion. Int J Impot Res 1998;10:S107-S110.

10. Laan E, van Lunsen RHW, Everaerd W. The effects of tibolone on vaginal blood flow, sexual desire and arousability in postmenopausal women. Climacteric 2001;4:28-41.

11. Bachmann G, Bancroft J, Braunstein G, Bruger H, Davis S, Dennerstein L, et al. Female androgen insufficiency: the Princeton consensus statement on definition, classification, and assessment. Fertil Steril 2002;77(4):660-665.

12. Flynn MA, Weaver-Osterholtz D, Sharpe-Timms KL, Allen S, Krause G. Dehydroepiandrosterone replacement in aging humans. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1999;84:1527-1533.

13. Baulieu EE, Thomas G, Legrain S, Lahlou N, Roger M, Debuire B, et al. Dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA), DHEA sulfate, and aging: contribution of the DHEAge study to a sociobiomedical issue. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2000;97:4279-4284.

14. Talalkoub L, Munarriz R, De E, Garcia S, Kim NN, Goldstine I, et al. Dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA) treatment for female androgen insufficiency and sexual dysfunction: baseline and post-treatment biochemical data. Proceedings of Female Sexual Function Forum 4th Annual Meeting 2001;Boston: Female Sexual Function Forum. 123.

15. Kaplan SA, Rodolfo RB, Kohn IJ, Ikeguchi EF, Laor E, Te AE, et al. Safety and efficacy of sildenafil in postmenopausal women with sexual dysfunction. Urology 1999;53:481-486.

16. Kegel AH. Sexual function of the pubococcygeal muscle. West J Surg Obstet Gynecol 1952;60:521-524.

17. Graber B. Female orgasm: role of pubococcygeus muscle. J Clin Psychiatry 1979;40:348-351.