Female sexual arousal disorder, a prevalent sexual problem for women, presents clinical challenges to counselors. The multifactorial etiology of female sexual arousal disorder requires a holistic treatment approach. This article describes both the objective and subjective aspects of the disorder and offers assessment and treatment considerations.
American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd. ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed., revised). Washington, DC: Author.
3.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
4.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text revision). Washington, DC: Author.
5.
Basson, R. (2001). Are the complexities of women’s sexual function reflected in the new consensus definitions of dysfunction?Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 27, 105-112.
6.
Basson, R. (2002). Are our definitions of women’s desire, arousal and sexual pain disorders too broad and our definition of orgasmic disorder too narrow?Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28, 289-300.
7.
Basson, R., & Brotto, L. A. (2003). Sexual psychophysiology and effects of Sildenafil citrate in oestrogenised women with acquired genital arousal disorder and impaired orgasm: A randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 100, 1014-1024.
8.
Basson, R., McInnes, R., Smith, M. D., Hodgson, G., & Koppiker, N. (2002). Efficacy and safety of Sildenafil citrate in women with sexual dysfunction associated with female sexual arousal disorder. Journal of Women’s Health & Gender-Based Medicine, 11(4), 367-377.
9.
Billups, K. L., Berman, L., Berman, J., Metz, M. E., Glennon, M. E., & Goldstein, L. (2001). A new nonpharmacological vacuum therapy for female sexual dysfunction. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 27, 435-441.
10.
Bridges, S. K., Lease, S. H., & Ellison, C. R. (2004). Predicting sexual satisfaction in women: Implications for counselor education and training. Journal of Counseling and Development, 82, 158-166.
11.
Brody, S., Laan, E., & van Lunsen, R. H. W. (2003). Concordance between women’s physiological and subjective sexual arousal is associated with consistency of orgasm during intercourse but not other sexual behavior. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 29, 15-23.
12.
Brotto, L. A., & Gorzalka, B. B. (2002). Genital and subjective sexual arousal in postmenopausal women: Influence of laboratory-induced hyperventilation. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28(Suppl. 1), 39-53.
13.
Charlton, R. S. (1997). Evaluation of sexual disorders. In R. S. Charlton (Ed.), Treating sexual disorders (pp. 59-94). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
14.
Charlton, R. S., & Brigel, F. W. (1997). Treatment of arousal and orgasmic disorders. In R. S. Charlton (Ed.), Treating sexual disorders (pp. 237-280). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
15.
Everaerd, W., & Both, S. (2001). Ideal female sexual function. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 27, 137-139.
16.
Ferguson, D. M. (2002). Clinical trial development in female sexual dysfunction. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28(Suppl. 1), 77-83.
17.
Ferguson, D. M., Steidle, C. P., Singh, G. S., Alexander, J. S., Weihmiller, M. K., & Crosby, M. G. (2003). Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover design trial of the efficacy and safety of Zestra for women with and without female sexual arousal disorder. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 29(1), 33-44.
18.
Gehring, D. (2003). Couple therapy for low sexual desire: A systemic approach. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 29, 25-38.
19.
Goldstein, I., (2000). Female sexual arousal disorder: New insights. International Journal of Impotence Research, 12(Suppl. 2), S152-S157.
20.
Goldstein, I., & Berman, J. (1998). Vasculogenic female sexual dysfunction: Vaginal engorgement and clitoral erectile insufficiency syndromes. International Journal of Impotence Residency, 10(Suppl. 2), S84-S90.
21.
Gottman, J. M. (1994). What predicts divorce?Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
22.
Gottman, J. S. (1998). Psychology and the study of marital processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 169-197.
23.
Haavio-Mannila, E., & Kontula, O. (1997). Correlates of increased sexual satisfaction. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 26(4), 399-419.
24.
Kaplan, H. S. (1979). Disorders of sexual desire. New York:Brunner/Mazel.
25.
Kleinplatz, P. J. (2003). What’s new in sex therapy? From stagnation to fragmentation. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 18(1), 95-106.
26.
Laan, E., & Everaerd, W. (1995). Determinants of female sexual arousal: Psychophysiological theory and data. Annual Review of Sex Research, 6, 32-76.
27.
Laan, E., van Bellen, G., & Hanewald, G. (1994). Women’s sexual and emotional responses to male and female-produced erotica. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 23, 153-170.
28.
Laumann, E., Paik, A., & Rosen, R. C. (1999). Sexual dysfunction in the United States: Prevalence and predictors. Journal of the American Medical Association, 281, 537.
29.
Leiblum, S. R. (2001). Critical overview of the new consensus-based definitions and classification of female sexual dysfunction. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 27, 159-168.
30.
Leiblum, S. R. (2003). Arousal disorders in women: Complaints and complexities. The Medical Journal of Australia, 178(12), 638-640.
31.
McReynolds, C., & Schnarch, D. (1997). Passion and intimacy. In R. S. Charlton (Ed.), Treating sexual disorders (pp. 127-164). San Francisco: John Wiley.
32.
Meston, C. M. (2000). The psychophysiological assessment of female sexual function. Journal of Sex Education and Therapy, 25(10), 6-16.
33.
Michael, R. T., Gagnon, J. H., Laumann, E. O., & Kolata, G. (1994). Sex in America. Boston: Little, Brown.
34.
Millner, V. S., & Ullery, E. K. (2002). A holistic treatment approach to male erectile disorder. The Family Journal, 10(4), 443-447.
35.
Munarriz, R., Maitland, S., Garcia, S. P., Talakoub, L., & Goldstein, I. (2003). A prospective duplex doppler ultrasonographic study in women with sexual arousal disorder to objectively assess genital engorgement induced by EROS therapy. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 29(1), 85-94.
36.
Padma-Nathan, H. (2000). Lecture 7: Loral drug therapy for female sexual dysfunction. International Journal of Impotence Research, 12(Suppl. 3), S56-S57.
37.
Pennebaker, J. W., & Roberts, T. A. (1992). Toward a his and hers theory of emotion: Gender differences in visceral perception. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 11, 199-212.
38.
Phillips, N. A. (2000). Female sexual dysfunction: Evaluation and treatment. American Family Physician, 62(1), 127-136.
39.
Rosen, R., Brown, C., Heiman, J., Leiblum, S., Meston, C., Shabsigh, R., et al. (2000). The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI): A multidimensional self-report instrument for the assessment of female sexual function. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 26, 191-208.
40.
Segraves, R. T. (2001). Historical and international context of nosology of female sexual disorders. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 27, 205-207.
41.
Segraves, R. T. (2002). Female sexual disorders: Psychiatric aspects. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 47(5), 419-425.
42.
Slowinski, J. (2001). Multimodal sex therapy for the treatment of vulvodynia: A clinician’s view. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 27, 607-613.
43.
Talakoub, L., Munarriz, R., Hoag, L., Gioia, M., Flaherty, E., & Goldstein, I. (2002). Epidemiological characteristics of 250 women with sexual dys-function who presented for initial evaluation. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 28(Suppl. 1), 217-224.
44.
Walton, B., & Thorton, T. (2003). Female sexual dysfunction. Current Women’s Health Reports, 3, 319-326.
45.
Wilson, S. K., Delk, J. R., & Billups, K. L. (2001). Treating symptoms of female sexual arousal disorder with the Eros-Clitoral Therapy Device. Journal of Gender Specific Medicine, 4(2), 54-58.
46.
Wincze, J. P., & Carey, M. P. (1991). Sexual dysfunction: A guide for assessment and treatment. New York: Guilford.
47.
Zoldbrod, A. (2003). Assessing intrapsychic blocks to sexual pleasure using the milestones of sexual development model. Contemporary Sexuality, 38(11), 7-13.
