The influence of psychological factors on the ability to experience orgasm in women of reproductive age

Abstract

Introduction. Female sexuality is a controversial issue due to its embarrassment, great complexity, and scarcity of scientific research. About 44% of women suffer from sexual dysfunctions and 15-20% have orgasm difficulties (Shifren, 2008). Due to the complexity of the factors that influence the female sexual response, including sexual desire and arousal, emotional intimacy, general and sex-specific anxiety, and distress about the situation, it is hard to establish the etiology of anorgasmia in women. However, it was found that the most important risk factor for female sexual dysfunction is impairment of mental health, especially affective disorders (Rosen, 2009; Pedersen, 2017). Lack of subjective arousal and pleasure are linked to anxiety, whereas depression has negative effects upon orgasmic experience. Often neglected by clinicians, female sexual dysfunction has a significant impact on interpersonal functioning and overall quality of life Aim of the study. To determine psychological disturbances which can have a significant impact on the ability of women to experience orgasm Materials and methods. In this study participated 129 women of reproductive age (18 to 47 years), from which a sample of 29 women was selected based on the criteria of being sexually active in the last 4 weeks. The study was based on self-report questionnaires: Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The selected women were separated in 2 groups: who have orgasm most of the time and with orgasm difficulties, based on the results of FSFI. A comparative analysis was performed and Student T-test was applied in order to confirm the statistical significance of clinical findings. Results. We have found that women from the group with orgasm disorder had significant (p<0.05) higher values on 3 scales – hostility, obsessive-compulsive and phobic in comparison with those who can experience orgasm. However, there were no statistical differences in the dimensions of anxiety and depression, although in the literature there is evidence that these can limit women’s arousal and therefore frequency of orgasm. Conclusions. It can be concluded that women who have difficulty in experiencing orgasm are more aggressive, have thoughts which they don’t have control over and have irrational fears. This leads to difficulty in having sexual fantasies, experiencing relaxation and pleasure. Due to the negative thoughts and fear, they can’t express their feelings and can’t communicate their sexual needs and preferences with their partner. In addition, they might have a misinterpretation of sensations perceiving them as threatening rather than pleasurable, which will sabotage the ability to reach peak pleasure or orgasm (Bradford, 2006). However, further research is required in order to find other factors that can also affect female orgasm.