Of all sexual dysfunctions, aversion to sex in women and excitability disorder are the least studied. In both cases, sexual frequency is low and they generate great conflicts both at the individual and couple level, so that in many cases, women who suffer from these types of disorders opt for a celibate life.
What is sex aversion in women?
Female sexual aversion disorder is defined as “persistent or recurrent extreme aversion to, and avoidance of, all (or virtually all) genital sexual contact with a sexual partner. ”
In sexual aversion, there may be desire, which is generally present, but the rejection of sexual behavior leads to a state of avoidance and anxiety, avoiding all possible erotic contact. That is, there is the desire and desire to have sexual relations, but the anxiety generated by imagining having such an encounter causes the desire to disappear and gives way to avoidance.
Avoidance of sexuality contributes to women themselves interpreting that they have no desire , so they often seek help from sexology professionals, self-diagnosing themselves with hypoactive desire or confusing it with anorgasmia.
Types of sex aversions:
Partial aversions are rare, they consist of the rejection of a specific sexual behavior and correspond to phobic situations such as rejection of genital odor, rejection of nudity, not tolerating fluids, etc.
Generalized lifelong aversions are due to educational and traumatic issues in the sex relationship, while the secondary version is due almost exclusively to sexual traumas such as rape.
There is a form of presentation of primary aversion (lifelong) that could be called covert aversion because they are not at all aware of the conflict, they never have sexual contact with anyone and they attribute it to not having found the right person. These women sometimes doubt their sexual orientation, because even if they have good relationships with men and feel attracted to one another, there is a break that makes them flee in moments where eroticism is encouraged, which is why they do not consolidate a stable relationship.
How is sex aversion generated?
Sexual aversion is part of a continuum where desire is in an intermediate state and aversion is at the end. If one starts with pure aversion where the woman has desire but a strong rejection to carry out sexual behaviors, sooner or later the pressure from the partner makes it easier for the woman to lose desire, which also ends up producing an excitability disorder.
When hypoactive sexual desire is associated with sexual aversion, anxiety becomes stable, where 25% of women who suffer from sexual aversion also present generalized anxiety disorder.
Possible causes of sex aversion:
Sexual aversion disorder is much more common than is believed and the profile of women who suffer from it is usually between 25 and 30 years old.
The education received during childhood and adolescence plays a very important role in the predisposition to this disorder. Some educational models in which there is an excess of taboo regarding sex or which consider it as something negative or even dirty can generate an unhealthy and dysfunctional relationship with one’s sexuality.
This is why it is common to find deep religious beliefs, sudden image changes (such as mastectomy), serious illnesses in their partner, having suffered sexual assault, having caught their parents having sexual contact or being caught in any sexual behavior, eating disorders, etc. among women with sexual aversion.
In some cases, aversion is conditioned by fear, especially when there is a history of punishment such as having been caught masturbating in childhood or adolescence, but in most cases, it is a significant feeling of partial or generalized disgust at the idea of a sexual encounter.
It can also be a consequence of post-traumatic stress disorder, as mentioned above, after having suffered sexual abuse or rape, which is accompanied by hypervigilance, flashbacks, and panic attacks caused by sexual stimuli.
Difference between sexual aversion and excitability disorder
Sexual aversion and excitability disorder are differentiated squares, but they have in common the decrease in sexual frequency and are sometimes confused, along with anorgasmia, vaginismus, and dyspareunia as if they were the disaster drawer.
Unlike other dysfunctions, there are no organic components that cause aversion to sex in women. In this case, all events that may cause trauma will serve as predisposing and precipitating factors.
Conclusion
Sexual education is always the best solution for this type of disorder. As a society, we have the pending task of incorporating sexuality healthily to prevent this type of pathology.
Psychological therapy begins with sexual psychoeducation to continue working on the erroneous beliefs that exist regarding sex and sexuality. This promotes a healthy relationship between the woman’s body and her sexuality. Likewise, strengthening self-esteem will be key in this recovery process.
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