Relationship Tips: 4 Sexual Problems That Can Affect All Women

Sexual problems can be extremely frustrating, not only because they put a damper on your sex life, but also because they can seriously affect your relationships. Fortunately, plenty of research is being done on the subject, most recently by the Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies in Belgium. A new study, published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, looked at how age correlates to different types of sexual dysfunction, including a lack of sexual desire, a lack of sexual arousal, difficulty or inability reaching orgasm, and pain during sex.

Researchers began with a sample of 15,048 heterosexual women aged 16 to 74 and asked them to answer an online survey about their sex lives, specifically if they experienced any of the sexual issues above. The questions were then scored on a four-point scale with zero meaning the absence of a problem and three meaning a severe or extreme problem. Overall, the study authors found that while most issues tended to increase with time, others remained steady across the age spectrum and caused distress for women regardless of their stage in life. Pretty shocking, right? Read on for more information about each sexual issue and which women are most affected by it.

1. Lack of Sexual Desire

In the study, lack of sexual desire was least common in younger women, but it still affected more than 10 percent of women between the ages of 20 to 24. It also affected about 20 percent of women between the ages of 25 to 29, though it was most common in women in their 50s and 60s. But even though the incidence goes up with age, low desire is definitely not just an issue for older women.

Between work exhaustion, psychological distress, body image issues, relationship conflicts, birth control, and antidepressants, there are a number of reasons why you might not want to have sex. It’s important to take stock of each category in your life that might be affecting your arousal so you can work on the problem on your own or with a licensed therapist. For starters, you can try these 14 tricks for boosting libido.

2. Lubrication issues

Interestingly, the study authors found that lubrication difficulties were equally common between the ages of 16 and 49. After menopause and hormonal changes, the rates understandably got much higher.

Issues with lubrication can make sex uncomfortable or even painful, so it’s not a problem you can easily ignore. Vaginal dryness might be caused by anything from dehydration, certain over-the-counter and prescription medications, nursing, or changing hormone levels during menopause. Using a personal lubricant is a great way to combat the problem.

3. Orgasm difficulties

In the study data results, trouble climaxing showed up in a U-shaped curve, with this particular sexual difficulty affecting mostly women between the ages of 20 to 24 (25.4 percent) and gradually decreasing in women through their late 20s, 30s, and 40s. The rate only jumped up again when women reached their fifties.

So why are women in their early 20s having the most orgasm issues? It could be that this is the time when women are more likely to have sex with casual partners, which research shows is associated with a lower chance of orgasm. As women get older, they're more likely to have found a consistent sexual partner and become more comfortable and knowledgeable about what turns them on. All of this can make reaching orgasm a lot easier.

4. Painful sex

Painful sex, or Dyspareunia, had similar age correlates to difficulty achieving orgasm. It was most frequently reported by women ages 16 to 19 (7.2 percent) and was less common in women in their 30s and 40s. Rates steadily climbed back up once women hit their 50s, which is likely due to menopause and hormonal changes later in life.

Dyspareunia is defined as pain in the vagina, clitoris or labia during intercourse, and is one of the more complex sexual dysfunctions. Experts say it can be caused by everything from vaginal dryness to UTIs to psychological trauma. It’s usually diagnosed by a doctor based on your symptoms, and can be helped by a variety of different protocols. While you can first try different positions and lubricants to see if that makes sex more comfortable, it's crucial to check in with your doctor if the pain persists.