Sexual Issues Affecting a Couple - Research Paper Example

This discussion stresses that as a sexual relationships evolve through life-cycle changes of both the partners, the key to maintain a satisfying relationship is not only in understanding and rectifying sexual dysfunctions but in realizing that any sexual partnership is bound to be changing in tune with the life cycle changes of both the individuals involved. In this paper, two sexual problems affecting a couple are discussed, namely, erectile dysfunction and vaginal pain. Both these issues can have a severe negative impact on a relationship.

 This study outlines that erectile dysfunction has been found to be a sexual problem that gets “increased with age with as few as 7% of men under 30 years of age presenting ED and more than 50% of men older than Age 60”. Erectile dysfunction has been found to cause “lack of self-confidence, embarrassment, avoidance of sexual outlet, and fears about losing one’s sexual partner”. Women with this problem are reported to have “reductions in their sexual desire, arousal and frequency of intercourse, difficulties reaching orgasm, and negative emotions during sex”.

The impact on the relationship, especially upon the women, is described above and added to that, the man “also suffers the negative repercussions of this pain in this sex life and romantic relationship”. Jodoin et al. have also found out that vaginal pain in women causes “increased psychological distress in male partners”. And this way, the entire relationship will suffer in the long run. . (2008) have found out that “partner solicitousness and hostility were significantly associated with higher levels of pain during intercourse” (p.418). This kind of pain has a “prevalence rate of 12% in the general population (Desrosiers et al., 2008, p.419).

Such pain is most often “provoked by attempted vaginal penetration” (Desrosier at al., 2008, p.419). Women with this problem are reported to have “reductions in their sexual desire, arousal and frequency of intercourse, difficulties reaching orgasm, and negative emotions during sex” (Desrosier at al., 2008, p.419). The impact on the relationship, especially upon the women, is described above and added to that, the man “also suffers the negative repercussions of this pain in this sex life and romantic relationship” (Desrosier at al., 2008, p.419).

Jodoin et al. (2008) have also found out that vaginal pain in women causes “increased psychological distress in male partners” (p.2862). And this way, the entire relationship will suffer in the long run. Erectile dysfunction could be partially a problem that men experience as they age (Nusbaum and Rosenfeld, 2004, p.120). Diseases like “heart disease, diabetes and hypertension” can also cause this problem (Nusbaum and Rosenfeld, 2004, p.120). But some less known reasons like depression and trauma also exist (Nusbaum and Rosenfeld, 2004, p.120). Vaginal pain can happen when either of the following factors exist-inadequate lubrication, vaginal infection, irritants, urethritis, episiotomy scarring, radiation vaginitis, sexual traumas and vaginismus (Nusbaum and Rosenfeld, 2004, p.99). Apart from these, many medical therapists (as cited in Southern and Cade, 2011) have opined that it is “emotional factors, such as sense of well-being and