yulius hermanto
Body Image Impacts Women Sexual Desire
Introduction
Sexual desire disorders, make a person lacks a desire for sexual activity for some period of time may be experiencing a hypoactive sexual desire disorder or may be asexual or decrease of libido. There are some identified factors that correlated with person's desire for sexual activity, and these can be psychological or physical.
The American Medical Association has estimated that several million US women suffer from a female sexual arousal disorder. Some experts claim that women with low libido are caused by hormonal abnormalities such as lack of luteinising hormone or androgenic hormones, although these theories are still controversial. Also, women commonly experience lack sexual desire in the period immediately after birth. Moreover, any condition affecting the genital area can make women reject the idea of having intercourse.
About half of women experience health problems in the area of the vagina and vulva that make them uncomfortable and disminished self-esteem, such as thinning, tightening, dryness or atrophy. Frustration may appear as a result of these issues and because many of them lead to painful sexual intercourse, therefore many women prefer not having sex at all.
Major health conditions such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease or infertility may have the same effect in women.
Although some experts disagree with menopause as important factor, menopause is still considered by the majority a factor that can cause decreased sex desire in women. The low levels of estrogen at menopause is believed to cause a lower interest in sex and vaginal dryness which makes intercourse painful. Also, the levels of testosterone decrease at menopause and this is why some women may experience a contrary effect, of an increased libido. Birth control pills may also influence the libido of women, generally by decreasing it.
In both men and women, relationship issues may cause a decrease in sexual desire as well. A diminishing interest in sex is usually the result of the factors that cause problems in the relationship in the first place. These include the lack of connection with the partner, unresolved conflicts or fights, poor communication of sexual needs and preferences or infidelity or breach of trust
Theory of Libido
Freud viewed libido as a part in series of developmental stages within the individual. Failure to adequately adapt to the demands of these different stages could result in libidinal energy becoming 'dammed up' or fixated in these stages, producing certain pathological character traits in adulthood. Thus the psychopathologized individual for Freud was an immature individual, and the goal of psychoanalysis was to bring these fixations to conscious awareness so that the libido energy would be freed up and available for conscious use in some sort of constructive sublimation.
A sexual desire disorder is more common in women, but rare in men. While erectile dysfunction is more common in men and may be a cause for the lack of sexual desire, but with which it should not be confused. Moreover, experts have brought to attention that libido impairment may not even occur in cases of men with erectile dysfunction. However, men can also experience a decrease in their libido as they age.
Other physical causes for reduced sexual desire in men include alcohol (among the most common), drug abuse (usually very strong such as cocaine), hyperprolactinaemia or any major disease such as cancer, diabetes, or depression.
The findings
As stated before, women are more commonly have sexual desire disorders. Usually women lose their sexual desire as they age, and proposed to be caused by menopausal or hormonal changes. But recently, another study showed that own body image perception gives more significant impact rather than hormonal changes, U.S. researchers said. The more a woman perceived herself as less attractive, the more likely she was to report a decline in sexual desire or activity over the past 10 years.
Research team studied 307 mostly white, heterosexual women aged range from 35 to 55. About 21% said they were pre-menopausal, 63.5% said they were undergoing some menopausal changes and 15.5% were past menopause.
Nearly 21% of the women could not think of even one attractive feature and reported an overall sense of dissatisfaction with their bodies, Dr. Koch's team reports in The Journal of Sex Research. These women especially disliked their stomachs or abdomens, hips, thighs and legs.
Two-thirds of the women said they either desired sex less than 10 years before or that they had sex less often.
But the women reported that when they did have sex, there was a high level of enjoyment, with 72% saying they were physically and emotionally satisfied in their sexual relationships.
From the study by Dr. Patricia Barthalow Koch in 2005, showed that women perception of their body image make them lack of self-esteem and rather discomfort thus lead to lack of sexual desire. For most women, think that their abdomen, breast, thigh, legs and hips as the most sensual and attractive ones. Dissatifaction from the physical appearance leads to lack of self esteem to be able attract a man.
While group of women that do have sex, have an enjoyment, that very important in maintaining sexual desire, also a good sexual activity is important for relieving stress and giving emotionally booster in relationship.
A relationship is not only about sex, but sex can give emotional satisfaction in relationship that can further intimate the couple.
Sexual desire disorders, make a person lacks a desire for sexual activity for some period of time may be experiencing a hypoactive sexual desire disorder or may be asexual or decrease of libido. There are some identified factors that correlated with person's desire for sexual activity, and these can be psychological or physical.
The American Medical Association has estimated that several million US women suffer from a female sexual arousal disorder. Some experts claim that women with low libido are caused by hormonal abnormalities such as lack of luteinising hormone or androgenic hormones, although these theories are still controversial. Also, women commonly experience lack sexual desire in the period immediately after birth. Moreover, any condition affecting the genital area can make women reject the idea of having intercourse.
About half of women experience health problems in the area of the vagina and vulva that make them uncomfortable and disminished self-esteem, such as thinning, tightening, dryness or atrophy. Frustration may appear as a result of these issues and because many of them lead to painful sexual intercourse, therefore many women prefer not having sex at all.
Major health conditions such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease or infertility may have the same effect in women.
Although some experts disagree with menopause as important factor, menopause is still considered by the majority a factor that can cause decreased sex desire in women. The low levels of estrogen at menopause is believed to cause a lower interest in sex and vaginal dryness which makes intercourse painful. Also, the levels of testosterone decrease at menopause and this is why some women may experience a contrary effect, of an increased libido. Birth control pills may also influence the libido of women, generally by decreasing it.
In both men and women, relationship issues may cause a decrease in sexual desire as well. A diminishing interest in sex is usually the result of the factors that cause problems in the relationship in the first place. These include the lack of connection with the partner, unresolved conflicts or fights, poor communication of sexual needs and preferences or infidelity or breach of trust
Theory of Libido
Freud viewed libido as a part in series of developmental stages within the individual. Failure to adequately adapt to the demands of these different stages could result in libidinal energy becoming 'dammed up' or fixated in these stages, producing certain pathological character traits in adulthood. Thus the psychopathologized individual for Freud was an immature individual, and the goal of psychoanalysis was to bring these fixations to conscious awareness so that the libido energy would be freed up and available for conscious use in some sort of constructive sublimation.
A sexual desire disorder is more common in women, but rare in men. While erectile dysfunction is more common in men and may be a cause for the lack of sexual desire, but with which it should not be confused. Moreover, experts have brought to attention that libido impairment may not even occur in cases of men with erectile dysfunction. However, men can also experience a decrease in their libido as they age.
Other physical causes for reduced sexual desire in men include alcohol (among the most common), drug abuse (usually very strong such as cocaine), hyperprolactinaemia or any major disease such as cancer, diabetes, or depression.
The findings
As stated before, women are more commonly have sexual desire disorders. Usually women lose their sexual desire as they age, and proposed to be caused by menopausal or hormonal changes. But recently, another study showed that own body image perception gives more significant impact rather than hormonal changes, U.S. researchers said. The more a woman perceived herself as less attractive, the more likely she was to report a decline in sexual desire or activity over the past 10 years.
Research team studied 307 mostly white, heterosexual women aged range from 35 to 55. About 21% said they were pre-menopausal, 63.5% said they were undergoing some menopausal changes and 15.5% were past menopause.
Nearly 21% of the women could not think of even one attractive feature and reported an overall sense of dissatisfaction with their bodies, Dr. Koch's team reports in The Journal of Sex Research. These women especially disliked their stomachs or abdomens, hips, thighs and legs.
Two-thirds of the women said they either desired sex less than 10 years before or that they had sex less often.
But the women reported that when they did have sex, there was a high level of enjoyment, with 72% saying they were physically and emotionally satisfied in their sexual relationships.
From the study by Dr. Patricia Barthalow Koch in 2005, showed that women perception of their body image make them lack of self-esteem and rather discomfort thus lead to lack of sexual desire. For most women, think that their abdomen, breast, thigh, legs and hips as the most sensual and attractive ones. Dissatifaction from the physical appearance leads to lack of self esteem to be able attract a man.
While group of women that do have sex, have an enjoyment, that very important in maintaining sexual desire, also a good sexual activity is important for relieving stress and giving emotionally booster in relationship.
A relationship is not only about sex, but sex can give emotional satisfaction in relationship that can further intimate the couple.
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