Spinal Cord Injury and Sex Issues - Essay Example

Running Head: SPINAL CORD INJURY AND SEX ISSUECross Culture Issues and SexualityMany researchers have now become interested in cross culture issues related to sexuality. Such as love, desire, sexual dysfunctions and other sexual problems. For this paper we have selected one of the important topics of cross cultural issues that is spinal cord injuries and sexual issue.Scholars have found that people who have any spinal cord injury suffer from some severe emotional issues that directly affect their sexual functions and ability to produce young ones.

The process of erection begins when mind send signals to penis and causes psychogenic erection (May & Warren, 2001). Men who suffer from any spinal cord injury, their ability for psychogenic erection depends upon the intensity of the injury they have (May & Warren, 2001). It is because every person has different spinal cord injury as a result their sexual function also differs from each other. Men who have incomplete injury can have more psychogenic erection than those who have complete injury.

On other hand it has also been observed some men with spinal cord injury have ability to expand and maintain psychogenic erection that is sufficient for sexual intercourse. Researchers have studied that when a person newly get injured he suffers from erectile dysfunction (May & Warren, 2001). In this situation person loses his ability to attain sufficient erection needed to satisfy his partner and his own sexual desires. After having spinal cord injury there are more chances of getting another sexual dilemma known as prostate problem.

There is a prostate gland located below the bladder; its main purpose is to produce a fluid to form semen. Individuals who have SCI expelled semen while ejaculation from the body or their semen may mix with urine in the bladder (May & Warren, 2001). Sex satisfaction is a need of human body either man or woman. As far as women with spinal cord injury are concerned they take some time to adjust their newly injured body for sexual activities. They can begin healthy adjustment by preparing their mind for changes and impacts of spinal cord injury on their natural feelings of sex.

Actually there are less psychological and physiological alterations in women in sex related activities after having SCI (Velasco, Buyo, & Barrera, 2005).In women spinal cord injury results in less vaginal lubrication. Most of the women with SCI can maintain degree of lubrication up to satisfactory level for their partners. Lubrication that makes sexual activity more pleasurable depends upon the completeness of injury. When changes are experienced in surface sensation and muscle contraction partners may try different positions for sexual activities in order to satisfy their sexual desires.

Another change has been observed in the individuals who have SCI is that they take longer than usual for orgasm to occur (Velasco, Buyo, & Barrera, 2005).Researchers have found that more than 60 % SCI women who are above the age of 45 used to have sexual activity daily with their partners. Whereas, girls between the age of 18 to 20 who are diagnosed to have spinal cord injury are not involved in any sexual activity (Velasco, Buyo, & Barrera, 2005). Those SCI women who used to have sex daily out of these most were satisfied however only few were reported as unsatisfied SCI women.

Therefore it could be concluded that increase and decrease in the frequency of intercourse among SCI individuals depends upon the completeness and incompleteness of the injury. It has also been observed there is evident change in intercourse frequency and potential of getting orgasm. Reference ListMay, L., & Warren, S. (2001). Measuring quality of life of person with spinal cord injury:substantive and structural validation. Quality of life research , 503-515.Velasco, M., Buyo, A., & Barrera, S. (2005). Sexual issues in a sample of women with spinal cord injury.

Spinal Cord , 51-55.