Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Sexual function
open-in-new
<h2 id="assessment">Assessment</h2> <p>Relevant aspects of sexual function are described on the basis of a modified version of <a href="/facts/Masters_and_Johnson/2fRdyQ2X">Masters and Johnson</a>'s work.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> The aspects of sexual function determined as being relevant to the assessment include; <a href="/facts/Sexual_desire/gVWj3mJg">sexual desire</a>, <a href="/facts/Erection/4vSHr1tU">erection</a>, <a href="/facts/Orgasm/Dweqd5oI">orgasm</a> and <a href="/facts/Ejaculation/5RnfwCxG">ejaculation</a>. Guidelines for assessing sexual function are suggested and divided into four stages: </p><p><i>Stage 1</i> deals with the documentation of the defined aspects of sexual function. The main questions are: </p> <ol><li>Is the function intact? For example: Have there been any occurrences of erections or orgasms during a given period of time?</li> <li>If the function is intact, what is the frequency and/or intensity of the function? For example: How often has the person had an orgasm or erections during the given period of time and how intense is the <a href="/facts/Orgasm/Dweqd5oI">orgasmic pleasure</a> and <a href="/facts/Erection/4vSHr1tU">erection stiffness</a> compared to youth or the best period in life. The suggested explanations for the absence or waning of functions at this stage are physiological and psychological.</li></ol> <p><i>Stage 2</i> deals with the assessment of the frequency of different sexual activities, such as intercourse, within a given time frame. The possible explanations for an absence or a decreased frequency of sexual activities may include physiological, <a href="/facts/Psychological/duoqW7Sz">psychological</a>, social, <a href="/facts/Religious/cxntrD0R">religious</a> and <a href="/facts/Ethical/wNVNgL5q">ethical</a> reasons. </p><p><i>Stage 3</i> it is estimated if or to what extent waning sexual functions and/or activities cause distress. </p><p><i>Stage 4</i>, the association between the distress due to waning sexual function and <a href="/facts/Health/jjTlJf6m">well-being</a> and <a href="/facts/Emotional_isolation/btRSkHaw">emotional isolation</a> is assessed. </p><p>These guidelines were constructed to assess male sexual function<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> in relation with treatment for <a href="/facts/Prostate_cancer/Mx7XuDhm">prostate cancer</a>. However, the concept has been modified and adapted for females.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Orgastic_potency/sQVQtbwL">Orgastic potency</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Sexual_dysfunction/cnrj9YDF">Sexual dysfunction</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>N, Komlenac; M, Hochleitner (February 2022). "Associations Between Pornography Consumption, Sexual Flexibility, and Sexual Functioning Among Austrian Adults". Archives of Sexual Behavior. 51 (2): 1323–1336. doi:10.1007/s10508-021-02201-7. PMC 8888391. PMID 34984569. sexual functioning, which is defined as "a person's ability to respond sexually or to experience sexual pleasure" <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8888391" target="_blank">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8888391</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Masters, William; Virginia E. Johnson (1966). Human Sexual Response. Little, Brown & Co. ISBN 9780316549875. <a href="9780316549875" target="_blank">9780316549875</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Helgason ÁR, Adolfsson J, Dickman P, Arver S, Fredrikson M, Göthberg M, Steineck G. Sexual desire, erection, orgasm and ejaculatory functions and their importance to elderly Swedish men: A population-based study. Age and Ageing. 1996:25:285-291. <a href="/wiki/Helgason_%C3%81R" target="_blank">/wiki/Helgason_%C3%81R</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Bergmark K, Avall-Lundkvist E, Dickman PW, Henningsohn L, Steineck G. Vaginal changes and sexuality in woman with a history of cervical cancer. N Engl J Med. 1999: 304 (18):1383-9. <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>