Female Sexual Dysfunction – FSD

FSD or Female Sexual Dysfunction is a multi-faceted condition that involves components related to physiology, psychology, emotional aspects, spouse issues and social factors. Throughout the menopausal changeover phase, there is a significant plummet in a woman’s needs, libido, sexual receptiveness and regularity of sexual activity.

For health experts there is mostly scrubby time to delve into sexual issues and hence the significance of these issues could be often marginalised. Hence, it is apposite that the regular practise of including queries on sexuality be included as a part of a routine gynaecological history. The problems would then be categorised into lack of desire, lack of arousal or lack of orgasm.

Female Sexual Dysfunction Causes:

• Both aging and dipping oestradiol levels were related to female sexual dysfunction (FSD).
• Chronic ailments like heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune syndromes, thyroid dysfunction and neurological impediment could have an undue bearing on sexual function.
• Psychological disarrays and marital discord; mate health and erectile function are also contributors to FSD.
• The relation between lowered testosterone levels with aging is not that evidently related to sexual functioning though it is reckoned to play a role.
• Deficit of oestrogen has been proven to have a strong link with lowered sexual function.
• Certain medications have a negative impact on sexual function such as psychotropic medicines, several heart agents, anti-histamines and oral birth control pills.

Female Sexual Dysfunction Symptoms:

• A decline in oestrogen additionally influences the brain centrally and is a major contributor to sleep disorders, mood fluctuations, fettered cognitive functioning and a rise in muscle aches and joint pains that can majorly affect well-being.
• Dwindling libido and sexual responsiveness.

Diagnosis & Tests:

The doctor would take a precise sexual and gynaecological history and conduct a focused clinical assessment. A comprehensive evaluation is carried out into the medical and social history.

Clinical assessment would involve a pelvic examination for detecting signs and symptoms of genital alterations that might be contributors to sexual dysfunction like atropy, vaginitis, pain eliciting points, pelvic masses, vaginal or uterine prolapse and might include incontinence. Apprehensions regarding leakage during orgasm could be a factor in sexual dysfunction. The visualisation of the vaginal, vulval and cervical regions are essentially carried out to look into important pathology like neoplasms and prolapse.

Co-morbidities would additionally be investigated inclusive of thyroid, diabetes and heart risk factors.

A litmus paper test is carried out to check the pH level of the vagina. A vaginal pH more than 4.5 is an indicator of atrophic vaginitis. Though hot flushes might lower with time, atrophic vaginitis does not and could deteriorate with more vaginal shortening, persistent infections and rising dyspareunia.

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