Women with disabilities are just as likely to have the same sexual needs and desires as women who are not disabled. We should be careful not to see disabled women as asexual. Most disabilities will not have a major impact on a woman's ability to engage in and enjoy sex. As I gather information about how disabilities influence women's sexuality, I will post it here. See the Links and Health pages for related information.
Women with Multiple Sclerosis may have difficulty experiencing orgasm, or find themselves totally unable to experience orgasm. There can be partial numbness of the genitals, genital stimulation may be unpleasant or painful, and vaginal intercourse may be painful. The affects of MS on female sexual response can change over time, making it impossible for several months, then pleasurable for several weeks. Source: Masters and Johnson on Sex and Human Loving page 511.
About one third of women with Diabetes will experience an inability to achieve orgasm as the result of nerve damage 4 to 6 years after diagnosis. Unfortunately the nerve damage is permanent. Source: Masters and Johnson on Sex and Human Loving page 512.
A visitor to this site informed me that she was unable to experience orgasm prior to getting treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Attention Deficit Disorder and Hyperactivity (ADHD) is a neurological syndrome that is usually genetic and is characterized by distractibility, impulsiveness, and restlessness, which interferes with everyday functioning. This impairs a woman's ability to experience orgasm because her mind is racing. She can't keep her mind focused on the sexual stimulation, or a sexual fantasy, long enough for her body to experience orgasm. The mind is going at 100 mph while the body is only going 20 mph. I did a web search on the subject and came up empty handed. A post to a newsgroup uncovered a few other women who reported ADD affected their sexuality as well. Sometimes it impaired sex because they couldn't concentrate, other times it made sex about the only thing they could concentrate on. One woman posted, "Effexor, a novel anti-depressant that is prescribed for ADHD, however, does inhibit orgasm, but leaves the desire there. This is pretty well documented." A friend with ADD searched her books and came up with one brief mention of ADD's impact on orgasm. The book, "Answers to Distraction", simply said something to the affect, "that you'll have trouble having an orgasm if you are thinking about work tomorrow and can't otherwise focus on sex so the only "treatment" would be to treat the ADD.
The above information should bring to light the importance of having balanced hormones in the body. Having too much or too little of any hormone that affects your daily life can have a major affect on your sexuality. Unfortunately, finding documentation that states that relationships may be next to impossible. Basically, any disability that deals with your hormones, all hormones, not just your male and female sex hormones, can influence your sexuality. There is related information on the health page where antidepressants are discussed.
A woman wrote in to share her experience with ADHD:
I haven't found scientific
data for it, either, but as a 21 year old with ADHD
I can tell you that before I was placed on a prescription stimulant, I couldn't
orgasm alone or with a partner--despite being sexually impulsive! I'm now able
to orgasm regularly...when medicated. Otherwise I cannot concentrate, I start
thinking about what I'm going to do with my day or about things I can see around
the room. Morning sex is very difficult for me, probably because I usually have
not taken my medication yet.
-college student
A Paraplegic Shares Her Experience
I hope that I can add some information to your site, specifically the section on disabilities.
I am in my twenties and I was in a car accident a few years ago and became a paraplegic. From personal experience, I can say that being in a wheelchair has not decreased my sex drive at all. Women with paraplegia can still masturbate, have orgasms, and have sex. I've had to rediscover my body and what makes me aroused, but masturbation and sex are still a lot of fun.
Medically speaking, a spinal cord injury changes the method a woman becomes aroused. I can't get aroused just by fanaticizing about sex or even kissing my boyfriend. Instead, direct stimulation is needed on the parts that have been affected by the spinal cord injury (SCI). This is because the communication between the parts of my body that aren't affected by the spinal cord injury can't relay information to the part that is affected. [Since her brain cannot communicate efficiently with her lower body, sexual fantasy, and erotic stimulation of areas with sensation, does not result in sexual arousal involving her vulva and vagina. If her vulva is directly stimulated sexual arousal and orgasm are possible.] Also, most paraplegics find that it takes longer to have an orgasm. (This doesn't mean that they're not enjoyable, though!)
Just because I'm in a wheelchair doesn't mean that I'm not interested in sex. I hope that this information will help people to look past the chair and see the person.
Paraplegia has no effect on a woman's ability to get pregnant and have children.
In response to a request for more information she provided the following.
Nature of Injury - I am a T2 complete paraplegic. Let me explain. There are four main sections to the spine. The top part, or neck, is the cervical. If there is an injury at this level, a person looses use of her hands and arms and is a quadriplegic. The second section is the thoracic. This is the upper back. The lumber is the third section and consists of the lower back. The lowest section of the spine, including the tailbone, is the sacral. A paraplegic is someone with an injury in the thoracic, lumbar or sacral section.
A T2 injury means that my injury has occurred at the second vertebra in the thoracic section. (There are 12 vertebrae in this section.) This is roughly between the tops of my shoulder blades.
An injury can be complete (the spinal cord has been completely severed), or incomplete (there has been damage, but some parts of the spinal cord at level of injury are still intact).
Level of motion - As a paraplegic, I have full use of my arms and hands. If I had broken my back a little higher, I would have lost some of the use of my hands and arms. I also can use my shoulders (deltoids), pecs, lats, and some of the muscles in my upper back. I can't use my abs, lower torso muscles, and anything lower than that.
Just because I can't use a muscle, though, doesn't mean that the muscle doesn't work. I just can't control its movement. For example, I can make my foot muscles contract by tickling the bottom of my foot. I can't sense what the foot is feeling, but it still responds. The response, though, isn't as strong as it was before my injury. On average, any part of my body that is affected by my SCI will still respond to stimulus, but not to the degree that it used to. This means that I can achieve orgasm, but it takes more time to get there.
Sensation - There is a transition zone where I loose sensation, or the ability to feel a light touch. I imagine it as a line across my upper back, under my armpits (I can feel the front of my armpits, but not the back) and across my front like a really low cut v-neck top. Above this line, everything is normal. Below it, I can't feel a light touch, temperature, or pain. There are a few tiny spots where I can feel a little. There is one spot on the side of my ribs, and a few spots on my breasts.
There is a second type of sensation, pressure. I can feel pressure on most of my torso, but nothing on my legs. Imagine getting a back massage while wearing a few heavy sweaters and a really thick winter coat. You'd be able to identify where the masseuse is putting pressure, but not be able to feel exactly what her hands are doing. That's what pressure is.
Erogenous Zones - Any part of my body that I can feel is much more sensitive. Imagine standing outside on a sidewalk on a windy day. Now imagine being able to erase the sound of the traffic. Then, remove the sound of people talking, the sound of the birds, the sounds coming from the nearby cafe, everything except the wind. The wind isn't any louder, but with every other sound removed, it's so easy to isolate and focus on.. By paying more attention, it becomes possible to identify different sounds in the wind itself - through the trees, or rushing around the corner of a building. In the same way, a touch on my arm, or neck is so much more intense.
I mentioned a few other places below level of injury where I can still feel. These places are VERY important to me. Even though I can't feel what I used to, I still experience the general good sensations that accompany sex and orgasm.
Resources - I really haven't done a lot of research. I do know that there is more information on men with paraplegia. Guys tend to break their backs more often and for them, there's the all important question, "Will I still be able to get an erecting?" and the answer can be complicated. I did get some info from the Canadian Paraplegic Association (CPA), although I haven't looked at it in a while. I'd suggest contacting CPA or a similar organization.
Vibrators - I've tried them, but I think they're useless. Maybe they're effective for others, though.
I have put together a collection of summaries of medical articles that address female sexuality and spinal cord injuries (SCI). You can access it by clicking here. Additional information is available in the article about the Female Sexual Nervous System.
Obsessive Compulsive Disoder (OCD)
First I would like to say that I LOVE this site! It's about time somebody started an informational, tatseful site that isn't overloaded with porn and doesn't tank your computer.
I would like to share something that nobody has mentioned yet on this site-The effects of Obsessive Compulsive Disoder on sex and sexuality. I have suffered from OCD for years and have found that my sexuality and enjoyment have suffered greatly as a result. When you have OCD, any type of "excitment," be it good or bad, can set offf a turrent of "bad thoughts." Bad thoughts rushing through ones brain is a common thing with OCD. You experiance anxiety, then you have a mental "episode" where awful things go through your mind that frighten and terrify.
Whenever I imagine sex, I become "excited." Than the OCD kicks into overdrive and I have a mental attack of bad thoughts. I cannot masturbate because the bad thoughts become so intense the whole experiance becomes a nightmare. Then I feel guilty I thought of bad things when I "was doing it." This causes me to masturbate over and over again until I get it "right." Just another part of my obsessive compulsion.
Sexuality, I would go so far as to say, has become a part of my OCD. Pretty much sucking the fun out of the whole experiance.
PS. Isn't it ironic that mental disorders cause sexual side effects...Than a therapists gives you a drug to treat the disorder that causes even more sexual side effects? I'm afraid to take any medicine. I feel like I suffer enough sexually as it is.
I have to say, having OCD isn't half as funny or entertaining as it is on Monk.
Epilepsy
Medical Abstract:
Originally Published: 2008
Sexual dysfunction in women with epilepsy: role of antiepileptic drugs and psychotropic medications.
Sexual dysfunction is a frequently encountered comorbid [coexisting] disorder in patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Importantly, sexual dysfunction can also occur as a treatment emergent [arising unexpectedly] adverse effect of a number of commonly used psychotropic and antiepileptic medications, and can include decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, disordered arousal, delayed orgasm, and anorgasmia. These effects can occur in both men and women, and can be seen across age groups. Understanding the neurobiology of normal sexual response, as well as the pharmacologic mechanisms of these commonly used medications can enable the clinician to predict how medication use may impact different phases of sexual response. Discussion of the current treatment strategies for female sexual dysfunction is also elucidated in this chapter. Source
Multiple Sclerosis
Medical Abstract:
Originally Published: Jult 16, 2008
OBJECTIVE: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common but often overlooked symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS). The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency, type, and intensity of SD in our patients with MS and to investigate its influence on all the domains of quality of life.
METHODS: The study population comprised a cohort of 109 patients with MS (McDonald's criteria, 2001). SD was quantified by a Szasz sexual functioning scale. Health-related quality of life was measured by a disease-specific instrument MSQoL-54 (Serbian version).
RESULTS: The presence of at least one symptom of SD was found in about 84% of the men and in 85% of the women. The main complaints in women were reduced libido, difficulties in achieving orgasm, and decreased vaginal lubrication; in men, the main complaints were reduced libido, incomplete erections, and premature ejaculation. In women, statistically significant negative correlations between the presence and level of SD and quality of life domains were reached for all subscales (P < 0.01), except for the Pain subscale (P = 0.112). In men, negative correlations were also observed for all domains, but they were statistically significant for physical health, physical role limitations, social function, health distress, sexual function, and sexual function satisfaction (P < 0.01). We found that the presence of all the analyzed types of sexual problems statistically significantly lowered scores on the sexual function and the sexual function satisfaction subscales in both men and women (P < 0.01). The most prominent impact on both domains was observed for the total loss of erection in men and for anorgasmia in women.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results reveal that frequent occurrence of SD in MS patients prominently affects all aspects of their quality of life. Source
General Health
Medical Abstract:
Originally Published: June 2009
Sexual Dysfunction Is Frequent in Premenopausal Women with Diabetes, Obesity, and Hypothyroidism, and Correlates with Markers of Increased Cardiovascular Risk. A Preliminary Report
Introduction. Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is characterized by reduced sexual appetite and altered psychologic and physiologic response to sexual intercourse; it is reported to be frequent in diabetes mellitus, but no data have been reported in thyroid disorders.
Aims. To compare the prevalence of FSD in diabetic, in obese, and in hypothyroid women vs. healthy women, and to correlate FSD with endocrine and metabolic profiles.
Methods. We evaluated, through a questionnaire (Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI]), the prevalence of FSD in 91 women affected by diabetes mellitus, obesity, or hypothyroidism, and in 36 healthy women, all aged 22–51 years and in premenopausal state.
Main Outcome Measures. FSFI score, endocrine and metabolic parameters (triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein [HDL] and low-density lipoprotein [LDL] cholesterol, free-triiodothyronine (FT3), free-thyroxine (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone [TSH], 17-beta-estradiol, testosterone, glycated hemoglobin 1c (HbA1c), thyroid autoantibodies, E-selectin, P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 [ICAM-1], plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1 [PAI-1]), and anthropometric parameters (body mass index, waist, blood pressure [BP]).
Results. A reduced FSFI score was more frequent in diabetic, obese, and hypothyroid women vs. healthy women (P < 0.01). In the different groups of women, FSFI score was inversely correlated (pairwise correlation) with at least one of the following: HbA1c, TSH, LDL-cholesterol, PAI-1, diastolic BP, presence of thyroid Ab, and directly correlated with HDL-cholesterol (always P < 0.05 or less). At stepwise regression analysis, HDL-cholesterol (protective) and HbA1c, LDL-cholesterol, PAI-1, and diastolic BP (negatively) predicted reduced FSFI score.
Conclusion. These data indicate an increased prevalence of sexual dysfunction in diabetic, in obese, and in hypothyroid women, associated with markers of cardiovascular risk. [Source]
