Sexology research and female sexual dysfunction

- Psychophysiological sex research

- How to study sex in a lab?

- Can use questionnaires but more accurate to go psychophysiologacl research

- Physiological sexual responses and how to measure it

- men: erection , barlow strain gauge (cock ring measuring width)

- women: incfrease in blood flow to vaginal wall and lubrication , phuotoplethysmogrpah (flashlight reflecting and measuring back light)

- Emotional sexual response --> measured using questionnaire

- Issues in sexology research?

- Objective assessment as it is and experimental control

- Small samples with selection bias

- Ethical (sex is seen as a private subject)

- Possibility for research

- effects of medecine or medical procedures on sexual functioning

- Individualistic differences

- Relationship between physiological response and emotions

- Underlying mechanisms

- Role on conscious and unconscious processing in sexual response

- Automatic responses to sex --> physiological responses

- fMRI study : wanted to observe if sexual stimuli can automatically activate emotion motivation center

- unconscious sex task

- Results: during process of sex stimuli vs neutral stimuli, there is more activation of the anterior cingulate cortex and the nucleus accumbens

- Dopamine makes your hornier

- Female sexual dysfunction

- Sexual complaints

- No desire

- Lack of sexuala rousal

- Lack of orgasm

- Painful sex

- Not possible to have sex

- Knowledge about female sexual dysfunction

- DSM 5: sexual disorders in women

- Sexual intrest/arousal disorder

- lack or marked decrease in sexual interest

- What is a normal level?

- Orgasmic disorder

- Marked delay in, infrequency, or absence of orgasm OR maarked reduced intensity of orgasmic sensation

- Sexual pain/penetration disorders

- Etiology

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- Stimulus --> based on your own experiences, and current physical state affects your sexual motivation

- Based on context we regulate/inhibit your behaviour

- Physical state: arousability

- Hormone level: estrogen and androgon

- Low levels of estrogen and testosterone may lead to no turned on

- Somatic diseases

- Neurological and endocrine disorders

- Medication

- Treatment

- Sensitivity of sexual system

- Intervention: medication change or hormone substitution

- sexual stimuli

- intervention: trauma therapy

- stimulate (new) positive sexual experiences (sex therapy) with attention for thoughts that can inhibit arousal

- Psycho education on female sexuality, improve sexual communication

- Psychological /relational context