Sexual Health:Women's Sexual Dysfunction
Health Journey
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Health's Top Stories
Get a weekly look at the most popular stories on Health.com.
What You Need to Know
Video: Perspectives on Women's Sexual Dysfunction
-
Sexual Pain, DisinterestTalk to your doctor if sex is difficult
( 1:09 ) -
Speak Up About SexWhy sexual health is important to women
( :56 ) -
Limits of CyberspaceEmail and texting don’t prep you for sex
( 1:56 ) -
Have a Doctor Sex TalkEmbarrassing but do it anyway
( :51 )
If You Can't Have an Orgasm, Maybe You Just Don't Know What Turns You On
Step 1 may be getting to know yourself better
While there may be a medical explanation for your inability to have an orgasm, chances are the cause is in some way cultural or psychological. Maybe you're uncomfortable with your body or just not familiar with it... Read More
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Answers About Women's Sex Problems From Dr. Marjorie Green
Dr. Marjorie Green
Clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School
Q: Why does it hurt when I have intercourse?
A: Painful intercourse can have a wide range of physical or psychological causes, from bacterial infection to anxiety to hormonal changes due to menopause. If sex hurts, see your gynecologist and discuss the pain in as much detail as you can. Jot down basics such as:
• When the pain began
• Where you feel it (at the opening of your vagina? deep inside?)
• The nature of the pain (is it sharp? dull?)
• Whether the pain starts and stops with penetration
• If you've noticed any unusual vaginal discharge Read More
A: Painful intercourse can have a wide range of physical or psychological causes, from bacterial infection to anxiety to hormonal changes due to menopause. If sex hurts, see your gynecologist and discuss the pain in as much detail as you can. Jot down basics such as:
• When the pain began
• Where you feel it (at the opening of your vagina? deep inside?)
• The nature of the pain (is it sharp? dull?)
• Whether the pain starts and stops with penetration
• If you've noticed any unusual vaginal discharge Read More
4 Medical Reasons Why Some Women Don't Want Sex
When a woman's not interested in sex—and would like to be—it may have something to do with her relationship, her upbringing, or something else in her experience, but there could also be a medical explanation. Read More
First She Lost Interest in Sex, Then After Menopause It Just Plain Hurt
Doctors and decades later, Lillian blames menopause for her sexual pain
The sexual pain that menopause can cause in some women hit Lillian Arleque especially hard because her sex life had been in disarray for some time. After the birth of her first child in 1975, Arleque stopped being interested in sex... Read More
Why Women’s Sexual Pain Is So Commonly Misdiagnosed as a Yeast Infection
Sexual pain problems tend to go on for a lot longer than necessary because they are so commonly misdiagnosed as vaginal infections. And some experts say the situation is made worse by a more general trend toward overdiagnosing yeast infections. Read More
