Additionally, postorgasmic illness syndrome (POIS) may cause symptoms when aroused, including adrenergic-type presentation: rapid breathing, paresthesia, palpitations, headaches, aphasia, nausea, itchy eyes, fever, muscle pain and weakness, and fatigue.
[10] Cardiovascular disease can decrease blood flow to penile tissues, making it difficult to develop or maintain an erection.
Due to the shame and embarrassment felt by some with erectile dysfunction, the subject was taboo for a long time and is the focus of many urban legends.
The introduction of perhaps the first pharmacologically effective remedy for impotence, sildenafil (trade name Viagra), in the 1990s caused a wave of public attention, propelled in part by the newsworthiness of stories about it and heavy advertising.
Individuals who take drugs that lower blood pressure, antipsychotics, antidepressants, sedatives, narcotics, antacids, or alcohol can have problems with sexual function and loss of libido.
In individuals with testicular failure, as in Klinefelter syndrome, or those who have had radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or childhood exposure to the mumps virus, the testes may fail to produce testosterone.
Other hormonal causes of erectile failure include brain tumors, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, or adrenal gland disorders.
In men, post orgasmic illness syndrome (POIS) causes severe muscle pain throughout the body and other symptoms immediately following ejaculation.
[24] POIS may involve adrenergic symptoms: rapid breathing, paresthesia, palpitations, headaches, aphasia, nausea, itchy eyes, fever, muscle pain and weakness, and fatigue.
Poor lubrication may result from insufficient excitement and stimulation, or from hormonal changes caused by menopause, pregnancy, or breastfeeding.
Risk factors include genetics, minor trauma (potentially during cystoscopy or transurethral resection of the prostate), chronic systemic vascular diseases, smoking, and alcohol consumption.
[34] For women, almost any physiological change that affects the reproductive system—premenstrual syndrome, pregnancy and the postpartum period, and menopause—can have an adverse effect on libido.
Diseases such as diabetic neuropathy, multiple sclerosis, tumors, and, rarely, tertiary syphilis may also impact activity, as can the failure of various organ systems (such as the heart and lungs), endocrine disorders (thyroid, pituitary, or adrenal gland problems), hormonal deficiencies (low testosterone, other androgens, or estrogen), and some birth defects.
In the context of heterosexual relationships, one of the main reasons for the decline in sexual activity among these couples is the male partner experiencing erectile dysfunction.
[35] According to Emily Wentzell, American culture has anti-aging sentiments that have caused sexual dysfunction to become "an illness that needs treatment" instead of viewing it as a natural part of the aging process.
Not all cultures seek treatment; for example, a population of men living in Mexico often accept ED as a normal part of their maturing sexuality.
However, based on incomplete population based studies from the United States, Europe and Australia, unspecified arousal dysfunction (in which a woman is unable to achieve desirable genital or non-genital sexual arousal despite adequate stimulation and desire) was present in 3-9% of women aged 18–44, 5-7.5% aged 45–64 and 3-6% in women older than 65.
These can include race, gender, ethnicity, educational background, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, financial resources, culture, and religion.
Other factors include physical discomfort or difficulty in achieving arousal, which could be caused by aging or changes in the body's condition.
[53] The most prevalent of female sexual dysfunctions that have been linked to menopause include lack of desire and libido; these are predominantly associated with hormonal physiology.
The hormonal changes that take place during the menopausal transition have been suggested to affect women's sexual response through several mechanisms, some more conclusive than others.
[citation needed] Another type of medication that is effective in roughly 85% of men is called intracavernous pharmacotherapy, which involves injecting a vasodilator drug directly into the penis to stimulate an erection.
[64] When conservative therapies fail, are an unsatisfactory treatment option, or are contraindicated for use, the insertion of a penile implant may be selected by the patient.
[3] Prolonged estrogen deficiency leads to atrophy, fibrosis, and reduced blood flow to the urogenital tract, which cause menopausal symptoms such as vaginal dryness and pain related to sexual activity and/or intercourse.
One study found that after a 24-week trial, women taking androgens had higher scores of sexual desire compared to a placebo group.
[3] As with all pharmacological drugs, there are side effects in using androgens, which include hirsutism, acne, polycythaemia, increased high-density lipoproteins, cardiovascular risks, and endometrial hyperplasia.
[3] Alternative treatments include topical estrogen creams and gels that can be applied to the vulva or vagina area to treat vaginal dryness and atrophy.
Despite work by psychotherapists such as Balint sexual difficulties were crudely split into frigidity or impotence, terms which acquired negative connotations in popular culture.
In a limited number of male-only cases (41) Masters and Johnson developed the use of a female surrogate, which was abandoned over the ethical, legal, and other problems it raised.
According to Masters and Johnson, sexual arousal and climax are a normal physiological process of every functionally intact adult, but they can be inhibited despite being autonomic responses.