Frigidity - causes and treatment

In my gynaecological practice frigidity is not a infrequent complain I encounter even with very young and otherwise healthy couples. Frigidity means absence of sexual desire. It is nearly due to psychological, constitutional or environmental factors. Organic disease is almost never a reason of frigidity. Some may say that dyspareunia (Pain during intercourse) leads to frigidity, but this is very rare to happen.

At times when patients of dyspareunia with perfectly normal sexual appetites, is advised to abstain from sex for a week to give time any lesion to heal often of no use!

Frigidity due to physiological reason


Some women are frigid during menstruation, pregnancy or after childbirth. This is physiological. Others develop a tremendous appetite for sex during these periods. They feel free of the fear of unwanted pregnancy; the male may be fascinated by his partner's change in status. This is also regarded as physiological Then, there are some young mothers who are simply too tired or stressed with the demands of the newborn baby to even think about courtship. As the baby grows, the mother s general well-being improves and libido returns.

Some wrong impressions in early life


Some women breed up with the thought that men are terrible creatures, and that sex is merely a wifely duty, nothing else. Discontented children in unhappy families, or those who have had a painful or terrifying sexual experience, often develop frigidity as they grow older.

Fear


Fear of pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, or panic of being harmed by intercourse may lead to frigidity. A child's mind is open and malleable, and if sex-related horror stories are told to her again and again, she may develop frigidity later on.

Physical Fatigue and Stress may cause frigidity:


Poor health or fatigue may cause frigidity. A mind that is preoccupied with worries about work, children or housekeeping cannot be interested about sex. Women who work late till night and reach home exhausted, or those who have the dual task of balancing a demanding job with running a home, or those whose jobs leave them with unpredictable sleeping hours are the ones who are most affected. Physical fatigue is a known cause of loss of sexual desire. This factor may be opposite for men and may lead to marital conflict and more loss of libido.

Endocrine Disease


Adrenal or thyroid dysfunction and some other hormonal factors can lead to frigidity. Before counseling, any women suffering from loss of libido should consult an endocrinologist.

Contraception


Though written in many text books, my personal experience in practice it actually increases the libido by eliminating the fear of pregnancy. Some oral pill, however may cause vaginal dryness, but changing the composition of the pill usually solve the problem.


Treatment of frigidity:


In treating frigidity, explanation of the reason and explanation of it to both the partners is vital. Psychological causes require long-term treatment. There is no aphrodisiacs for women; like Viagra in men. Alcohol, in small doses, might have a advantageous effect. Perhaps it acts by temporarily removing one's inhibitions. Patient and loving partner who should understand the need and fear of the woman is most important to get rid of loss of libido.
In practice this condition is very common to encounter. While enquiring carefully taking the couple in confidence, most of the time some underlying reason is found. The cause can range from depression to drug abuse. Sex can be unappealing if there are frequent quarrels between the partners. The treatment consists of opening up the emotional blocks.

Sometimes there may be depression due to a chronic sickness, a surgery such as a mastectomy, or due to the loss of a dear one. Sometimes there may be monotony or discontented with the partner. Proper counseling with both the partners helps to solve the problem often.


Psychosexual problems:


The mind and the body have a multifaceted association with each other. Illness of the mind affects body functions, and vice versa. One cannot, therefore, regard sex as a separate matter. Sexual arousal depends not only on cyclical hormonal changes or expert techniques, but also on one's emotional status. A woman who is well attuned, has a good self image and enjoys a intimate bond with her spouse is likely to enjoy sex. It is essential for most women to sense loved and wanted before they can even start to enjoy sex.

Hormonal influences and cyclical changes also can change a woman's emotions radically and bring about diverse types of changes in different women. In the premenstrual phase, some women are keen to have sex because they feel more exited. But others, especially those who has some degree of mastalgia or breast tenderness might find sex repulsive, and they may actually find sexual foreplay painful. So there is a normal difference in an individual's sex need from day to day.

Problems crop up when the partner is not prepared for these phases in a woman's life and is unable to respond with sympathy and understanding.
It must be understood most couples living together had phases of intense sexual activity, interspersed with periods of relative inactivity. A man and a woman living together represent one unit, and at a certain point of time the energy and attention of this unit may be focused somewhere else such as acquiring of a house or on their careers.

Some women become anxious when they all of a sudden recognize that they do not seem to be having sex as regularly as before. When this happens, one has to look for some unsettled clash that could be straining the bond, or for any physical disease that is undiagnosed. Stress is one of the most common causes of sexual dysfunction. Variation in the frequency of sexual activity is no cause for worry. With physical health and emotional stability, most problems are resolved.

If necessary don’t hesitate to consult a psychiatrist for loss of sex drive.

This article is also published in India Study Channel