THE HISTORY OF FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION

Until the early 20th century, a variety of female ailments, from headaches, to anxiety, to moodiness were amassed under the heading of "Female Hysteria." Most physicians appreciated this condition since the patients neither died nor ever fully "recovered," therefore they provided repeat business for doctors. Often, treatment of these ailments included manual massage of the vulvar area to induce "paroxysms" from the patients. The women would moan, thrash, shake and sometimes cry during these "paroxysms" and be "cured" of their ailments for a period of time.

It was not until the mid-19 th century that female sexuality was considered an area deserving of consideration and this was primarily a result of Freud's view of women's sexual identity and Kinsey's ground breaking work: Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. Most research on female sexuality from that time through the 1960's focused on treating the "frigid" female and trying to induce "vaginal" orgasms. In the 1960's, however, Masters and Johnson's work debunked the myth of the vaginal orgasm and the field of female sexual dysfunction expanded. It remained, however, a psychological field. It was generally believed that if a woman was properly educated, comfortable with her body, relaxed and psychologically sound all problems would be resolved. However, many women's reality belied that.

In the 1990's with the advent of Viagra for men, for the first time there came an acknowledgement that perhaps women's sexual problems were not "merely in their head." Although numbers are limited, the field of female sexual dysfunction has widened. Urologists, gynecologists, psychiatrists, and physical therapists as well as pharmaceutical companies began to explore the potential physiological causes for common complaints by women. It became increasingly clear that issues of low desire, inability to become aroused, pain and problems with orgasm were commonly a result of low hormones, poor blood flow, tight muscles and irritation.

Today, for the first time, there are a host of practitioners who can treat a variety of female sexual dysfunctions. While practices that address both the physiologic and psychological are rare, they are clearly the wave of the future.

The Medical Center for Female Sexuality is one of the only treatment centers in the country to integrate a medical and psychological treatment modality. A medical and psychological team works to evaluate the issues that might be of concern to the patient. Since the MCFS is a medical practice, the treatments are generally covered by most insurance companies. The MCFS can be found on the Internet at www.centerforfemalesexuality.com.

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