Female Sexual Dysfunction: Current Models and Treatment Options

Male sexual dysfunction has been well described in scientific literature; however, female sexual dysfunction is an area of research that remains vastly overlooked.

Female sexual dysfunction represents 4 separate diagnoses according to the DSM-5-sexual pain disorder, sexual interest/arousal disorder, orgasmic disorder, and medication/substance-induced sexual dysfunction. In this review, we will briefly discuss early studies of female sexual function. We will also describe each subtype of female sexual dysfunction, its etiology, vulnerable populations, and current treatment options. Treatment options discussed will include pharmacological options, as well as therapeutic techniques, including behavioral and physical therapy.

Information for this review was obtained by means of PubMed search with relevant keywords, in addition to the use of pertinent citations from original research.

We find evidence for multiple treatment options for patients with female sexual dysfunction specific to the subtype of disorder defined by the DSM-5.

Treatment of female sexual dysfunction should include a team-based approach that involves the partner, a therapist, psychiatrist, physical therapist, and pharmacological intervention if appropriate.

Tremendous progress has been made in the last several decades in dedicating more research attention to the topic of female sexual dysfunction-there are a multitude of randomized clinical trials on both pharmacological and therapeutic options for each of the sexual dysfunction disorders. However, improved standardization of tools to measure sexual desire, satisfaction, and orgasm attainment remains a weakness in current studies, as does lack of data on sexual function in transgender women and lesbian women.