Female Sexual Dysfunction

Common Types of Female Sexual Dysfunction

• Low sexual desire: reduced or absent interest in sexual activity, or fewer sexual thoughts and fantasies than before.
• Arousal difficulty: desire may be present, but the body has trouble becoming or staying aroused during sexual activity.
• Orgasmic difficulty: a marked delay, reduced intensity, or persistent absence of orgasm.
• Sexual pain: pain or pelvic tightening associated with vaginal penetration, or fear and anxiety about that pain.

Signs Women Can Discuss With Their Prescriber

Women who identify with three or more of the following may want to raise the topic of Female Sexual Interest/Arousal/Orgasmic disorder at their next appointment:

• Reduced interest: little or no interest in sexual activity or erotic thoughts.
• Reduced initiation: has stopped initiating sexual activity and is often unreceptive to a partner’s attempts to initiate.
• Reduced pleasure or sensation: little or no excitement, pleasure, or genital and nongenital sensation during almost all sexual encounters.
• Reduced response to cues: little or no arousal in response to erotic cues, whether written, verbal, or visual.
• Orgasm changes: marked delay, infrequency, absence, or reduced intensity of orgasm.
• Pain or tensing: pain, pelvic pain, fear of pain, or marked tensing of the pelvic floor muscles during attempted vaginal penetration.

Hormonal Changes and Other Contributing Factors

Menopause is a common contributor, and early onset of menopause can also result from chemotherapy or radiation. Female sexual dysfunction is not limited to hormonal changes or to women in midlife, however; younger women without hormonal changes can experience it as well. Women are increasingly comfortable discussing intimate concerns with their prescribers, and vaginal dryness, low sex drive, and difficulty reaching orgasm are among the most common concerns they raise.

Research reflects how widespread this issue is. A systematic review and meta-analysis by McCool et al. found that female sexual dysfunction affects a substantial share of premenopausal women worldwide, and the authors called for more research and better standardization in the field.

Personalized Hormone Therapy

Town & Country Compounding works with a woman’s physician to develop a hormone therapy built around her specific symptoms and needs. Because no two women experience female sexual dysfunction the same way, formulations are prepared to match what a prescriber determines is clinically appropriate for that individual, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Topical Compounding Options

For women exploring topical support, compounding pharmacies can prepare customized formulations designed around a prescriber’s order. These preparations are sometimes referred to informally within patient communities by names such as “Dream Cream,” “Scream Cream,” “Yell Gel,” or “Big-O Gel.” Town & Country Compounding’s version is typically formulated with sildenafil, aminophylline, and arginine, and can be adjusted based on a woman’s individual symptoms and her prescriber’s direction.