FLICKR, JASON SCHLACHETA female commentator on a major cable news channel recently told viewers that the way for men to turn women “on” is to “load the dishwasher.” If it were that simple, therapists would have a great track record of treating low female libido. The dirty secret is they don't. And even more surprising secrets exist in the published research. For example, in 2011, a national survey determined that men who do domestic chores, the kind traditionally performed by women, have significantly less sex than men who don’t, not more.
Though pharmaceutical companies are commonly criticized for “medicalizing” sexual dysfunction, this is not the case. Sexual functioning levels are reduced, and sexual distress is increased among women with sexual desire or arousal problems who have reported a sexual complaint to a doctor—even those who reported otherwise-normal levels of marital satisfaction. Problems with desire and arousal are even recognized by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), which combines the two within sexual interest-arousal disorder (SI-AD). According to the APA, low desire is a problem worth treating when it causes distress and reduces the quality of a woman's life.
People diagnosed with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) experience little to no desire for sex, and as a result, significant distress or interpersonal difficulties. Although under-diagnosed, HSDD is highly ...
