Female Sexual Dysfunction

Sexual dysfunction is far from uncommon in men and women. Despite dissatisfaction among 43 percent of women, only 10 percent report it. What of the rest? They're what researchers have dubbed "happily dysfunctional."

I don't buy it, though. First, we should account for women who are just too embarrassed to seek help. I have no idea what percent that is, but I'm confident it's a sizable swath of women not reporting problems. Now we should acknowledge, and to be fair so do researchers, that sexual dysfunction in women is not nearly as clear cut as it is in men. If men have erectile dysfunction then they can't have sex, but a lack of desire (the usual suspect for women) does not necessarily prevent sex.

Could these women just not care? Find out below.

Zestra, the female enhancement oil that can't get its ads on TV, might actually work. In fact, anything claiming to raise female sexual satisfaction might have the desired effect not thanks to its physical components, but because of the psychological power of the placebo. In a recent study, 35 percent of women with sexual dysfunction disorders experienced a significant improvement in their sex lives when given a placebo pill.

Trying to explain the results, the researchers say women need more than fake pills. All the participants spoke with healthcare workers who took their concerns seriously. Along with taking the placebo pill, women were encouraged to have more sex, and record their experiences and feelings toward sex.

While men's sexual disorders often result from physiological issues, these results suggest that the secrets to female sexual pleasure sometimes lie in our minds. Do you see some truth in that?

A new study reveals sex complaints change with age. Most younger women, between 18-30, list not being able to orgasm as their number-one gripe, while women over 30 say it's lack of desire.

Desire seems like a prerequisite for an orgasm, so could it just be that older women have lower — or more realistic — expectations. Partially. Only 30 percent of women actually do orgasm from sex, so more sexually experienced women are likely to know what works, and doesn't, for them.

But while older women have fewer sexual thoughts and fantasies, more lubrication problems, and less overall sexual satisfaction, they do have more orgasms. Unlike men, women have to learn to orgasm — and that can take years to sort out.