What causes sexual dysfunction in women?
Unlike men who require certain physiological events to have intercourse, women have no such restrictions. As such, the most common reasons for sexual dysfunction are often based in matters of desire, sexual arousal, or sometimes painful intercourse. Some women also report an inability to have an orgasm or experience pain when achieving one. While a decrease in desire can be caused by many things, including a negative relationship with a partner, or other life stresses, physical causes are often traced to a decrease in the hormones estrogen and testosterone that occur during menopause. Not only can this put a damper on desire, it can also cause a decrease in vaginal lubrication making it more difficult to become aroused and causing intercourse to be painful (see question 6). In addition, certain illnesses, most notably a thyroid disorder or depression, can also impact a woman’s desire. The inability to achieve orgasm is seldom caused by a physical problem, but more often the result of i
