Essay: Stress and sexual dysfunction

Stress is something that unfortunately many of us cannot escape. It is a part of our lives and we have to find ways to effectively utilize the possibly outcomes for stress. Many individuals, however, allow toxic stress to consume their lives and it begins to affect different aspects of their lives. One of the things that stress can affect is sexual functioning. Once stress affects sexual functioning, it can cause sexual dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction is experienced differently amongst genders and we will be encompassing all of these terms in paper.
Stress is a feeling that many people in the world face in their lifetime. But what exactly is stress? According to the book, stress is “the experience of a perceived threat (real or imagined) to one’s mental, physical, or spiritual well-being, resulting from a series of physiological responses and adaptions” (Seawaard, 2015). The word stress was originally used in physics to describe the amount of tension and force placed on an object that would lead it to bend or break. It was Hans Selye who made the word stress popular when referring to how a person was feeling. He discovered, however, that stress couldn’t be defined concretely. Everyone goes through the same experience but the way that the perceive stress is different.
Experiencing stress has different levels to it. There is the “good” stress, also known as eustress, which “motivates an individual toward an optimal level of performance or health” (Seaward, 2015). Athletes are prime examples of dealing with eustress. For example, before a competition or preparing for a race, an athlete will typically feel eustress, which would push them to perform at their best. Eustress is important because it’s that little extra push that many need in order to be happy, motivated, challenged, and excited. However, an overwhelming amount of stress can be harmful.
Along with eustress, there is also “bad” stress, which is known as distress. Distress is “the unfavorable or negative interpretation of an event (real or imagined) to be threatening that promotes continued feelings of fear or anger” (Seaward, 2015). This is the kind of stress that most people are familiar with. People who deal with distress on a long-term basis are putting themselves at risk mentally, physically, and emotionally. There are many side effects that result from stress, which include a change in appetite, you make yourself more susceptible to catching the cold and other illnesses—such as asthma and skin problems, feeling out of control, neglecting important aspects of your life such as school or work, along with side effects. Another aspect of life that can be affected by stress, that people are not aware of, is sexual functioning.
Sex, in accordance to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is defined as “the sum of the structural, functional, and behavioral characteristics of organisms that are involved in reproduction marked by the union of gametes and that distinguish males and females” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Sex is said to be one of the many outlets a person can utilize to relieve stress. This allows for the release of endorphins, as well other hormones. This in return, can raise someone’s mood. Along with that, sex in itself, is beneficial because it is both good exercise and a great stress reliever. That being said, one may wonder, if sex is a good way to relieve stress then how does stress affect one’s sexual functioning?
There are a lot of hormones that come into play when it comes to stress and sex. When one is stressed, the body releases stress hormones called glucocorticoids. As a result of the release, the body’s main sex hormone called the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is hindered. That being said, when stress hormones such as cortisol interfere with the body’s main sex hormone, its effects the suppression of sperm count, ovulation, and sexual activity. Thus, this results in a lower sex drive and a decrease in fertility. Hormones, however, are only a small portion of what needs to be understood about the relationship between stress and sexual functioning.
In order to better understand sexual functioning, it is important to understand the sexual response cycle, which are the phases of sexual intercourse. The first phase is desire, which relates to a person initiating or being receptive to sexual activity. The second phase is arousal, where there are subtle changes in a person such as their breathing. The third phase is the plateau, which is right before orgasm where the sexual tension increases and muscles become more tense. The fourth phase is orgasm, where the subjective pleasure has peaked and sexual tension is released. The last phase is the resolution, which is where the body returns to its pre-excited state. Sexual functioning, therefore, is the body’s reaction during the different phases of the sexual response cycle, which can be affected negatively by too much stress.
As previously mentioned, when stress hormones like cortisol are released, sex hormones are suppressed in order to focus on the more urgent and immediate needs. Therefore, stress can affect any of the five phases previously mentioned. For example, psychosocial factors such as self-esteem and body image are contributors in the phase of desire. If a person is not comfortable with the way they look, or they think less of themselves, this could lead to them stressing about whether or not their sexual partner will believe the same. This then, leads to the negative impact that stress has on sexual functioning.
When a person is stressed, their stress hormone levels are increased. Once the stress hormones are increased, it can interfere with sexual functioning. Interference with sexual functioning can result in the decrease of a man’s sperm count, a woman’s ovulation cycle, and/or any sexual activity. Once stress inhibits sexual functioning, it causes sexual dysfunction—which slightly varies upon one’s gender (News Medical, 2016).
Sexual dysfunction is “a problem [that] occur[s] during any phase of the sexual response cycle that prevents the individual[s] from experiencing satisfaction from the sexual activity,” which can include physical pleasure, desire, preference, arousal or orgasm (Cleveland Clinic, 2016). Research shows that “43% of women and 31% of men report some degree of difficulty” during sex (Cleveland Clinic, 2016). The problem of sexual dysfunction is usually caused by one of the four issues. The four issues are desire, arousal, pain, and orgasms. Problems generated by desire are due to “lack of interest in sex” (Rodriguez & Marcellin, 2016). Arousal troubles arise when a person cannot become “physical[ly] aroused during sexual activity” (Cleveland Clinic, 2016). Pain during intercourse is also one of the causes of sexual dysfunction that typically happens when something is lacking or a need is not met. Lastly, issues that deal with orgasm disorders result from not being able to reach your climax from sexual intercourse. The issues that arise from sexual dysfunction is present in both males and females but it is demonstrated in different ways.
Sexual dysfunction is generally more associated with men than with women. Men can experience sexual dysfunction in different ways such as erectile dysfunction, problems with ejaculation, and low libido. Erectile dysfunction is the “inability of a man to get and keep an erection firm enough for sex” (Mayo Clinic, 2016). It is usually caused by a number of things, including depression, medication, anxiety, and most importantly stress (Rodriguez & Marcellin, 2016). Problems with ejaculation is another form of sexual dysfunction that men experience. These problems consist of early ejaculation, also known as premature ejaculation, the timing of ejaculation, and the “inability to ejaculate at all” (Rodriguez & Marcellin, 2016). The problems usually occur due to medications, such as antidepressants, a person’s religious beliefs, a history of sexual trauma, such as a person committing adultery, and anxiety about engaging in sexual intercourse (Rodriguez & Marcellin, 2016). Last but not least, another problem men face is having a low sex drive known as low libido. Low libido is when there is decreased or no desire to have sex and can be associated with both depression and stress. It is also a result of physical illnesses, decreased hormone levels, and medications (Rodriguez & Marcellin, 2016). Although sexual dysfunctional is more commonly discussed in relation to men, women also face sexual dysfunction.
Sexual dysfunction for women is usually presented in vaginal dryness, low libido—just as it occurs in men, trouble experiencing an organism, and pain experienced during sex. Vaginal dryness can lead to other sexual dysfunctions, such as low libido and issues with arousal. It can be associated with anxiety and hormonal issues that result in a woman’s disinterest in sex. Low libido, just as with men, is the lack of sexual desire. However, in women, low libido is not only associated with decreased hormonal levels, medication, depression, and anxiety but it is also associated with fatigue. There are also other outcomes that women because of low libido such as reaching an orgasm. Having trouble experiencing an orgasm is something both men and women struggle with and can be caused by medications such as antidepressants (Rodriguez & Marcellin, 2016). The last of the dysfunctions that I will be discussing is actually one of the causes of vaginal dryness, that dysfunction is pain. Painful experienced during intercourse can result from insufficient “vaginal lubrication before and during intercourse” and the “inability to relax the vaginal muscles enough to allow intercourse” (Cleveland Clinic, 2016). Painful intercourse, along with the other sexual dysfunctions that are common in women, interfere with one’s sexual functioning.
In conclusion, stress is a vital component of everyone’s lives. In terms of stress, there is both good stress and bad stress that individuals undergo. When distress is present, it can affect a number of things including sexual function. Being that sex is a reliever to stress this creates a problem. Thus, if sex is the problem then this can complicate matters and affect sexual functioning. When sexual functioning is affected, this can result in sexual dysfunction. Although sexual dysfunction is generally more of the topic at hand for males, it can happen to any of us. Therefore, it is important to maintain a balance between eustress and distress to avoid interference with sexual functioning.