Female sexual arousal disorder refers to a lack of responsiveness to sexual stimulation--specifically, a persistent or recurrent inability to attain or maintain the lubrication-swelling response of sexual excitement until completion of sexual activity.
Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD) is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as the "persistent or recurrent inability to attain, or to maintain until completion of the sexual activity, an adequate lubrication-swelling response of sexual excitement" which causes "marked distress or interpersonal difficulty."
Evidence for the prevalence of female sexual arousal disorder is scant and should be regarded with caution. In clinical studies conducted in the 1970s, arousal disorders in women were poorly defined. Researchers reported that 57 percent of females seeking therapy experienced arousal disorders. Estimates from community studies vary, with prevalence rates from 11 percent to 48 percent (Laumann, Gagnon, Michael, & Michaels, 1994).
Prevalence estimates of FSAD vary widely between studies, likely due to different operational definitions of the disorder. A recent random survey of over 1,600 female respondents, ages 18-59 years, found that approximately 19% of women reported difficulties with lubrication (Laumann, Gagnon, Michael, & Michaels, 1994). Reported risk factors included health and lifestyle factors (e.g., history of STD, poor health, emotional problems), social status, and sexual experience. The incidence of FSAD is higher among women of pen or postmenopausal years: One study reported 44% of postmenopausal women experience persistent or recurrent lubrication problems (Rosen, Taylor, Leiblum, & Bachmann, 1993). Studies that have used more stringent diagnostic criteria report lower rates. For example, Lindal and Stefansson (1993) reported a lifetime prevalence of 6% in a large random population sample and Fugl-Meyer and Sjogren Fugl-Meyer (1999) reported a 1-year prevalence of 8% in a large Swedish sample........
