Women's sexual health

Sexual dysfunction is treatable, and it is not in your head

Sexual dysfunction covers a wide range of symptoms affecting women across the different phases of arousal and excitation — desire, lubrication, sensitivity, orgasm, and comfort. Each phase depends on its own physiology, which means each can be affected independently and each can be evaluated and treated.

Every patient undergoes a detailed medical exam with our Medical Director and comprehensive metabolic and endocrine bloodwork. All consultations are performed discreetly in a private setting.

The phases of sexual response A loop with four stages: emotional closeness, receptivity to stimulation, arousal building, and satisfaction, which reinforces closeness and feeds the cycle again. Desire and closeness willingness, not urgency Excitation blood flow and lubrication Arousal and orgasm dependent on sensitivity Satisfaction which reinforces the closeness each phase has its own physiology A problem at any point in the cycle affects the whole of it.

How care works

We identify the underlying cause before building the treatment plan

These conditions usually develop from several contributing factors at once. A plan that addresses one and ignores the rest is why previous attempts so often disappoint.

Examine

A detailed medical exam with our Medical Director, held discreetly in a private setting, covering your history, symptoms, and current medications.

Test

Comprehensive metabolic and endocrine bloodwork, so the treatment regimen addresses the underlying cause rather than only the symptom.

Treat

All procedures and treatments are performed in office by our highly trained and licensed medical professionals.

Reassess

We review what has changed and adjust. Response varies between patients, and the first approach is not always the final one.

What it looks like

The symptoms that bring women in

Sexual dysfunction affects many women across the different phases of arousal and excitation. These frequently occur together, and one often drives another — reduced lubrication makes intercourse painful, and pain reliably suppresses desire.

Loss of libido

reduced sexual desire

Interest in intimacy declines or disappears, often gradually enough that it's attributed to stress or age.

Decreased lubrication

vaginal dryness

The tissue no longer produces adequate natural moisture, leaving intercourse uncomfortable and dependent on external lubricants.

Reduced sensitivity

diminished genital sensation

Stimulation produces less response than it once did, frequently leading to difficulty reaching orgasm.

Anorgasmia

inability to achieve orgasm

Orgasm becomes difficult or impossible despite adequate arousal and stimulation.

Dyspareunia

painful intercourse

Pain during penetration or intercourse, which has identifiable physical causes worth evaluating rather than enduring.

Urinary incontinence

bladder leakage

Often accompanies the tissue changes above, and often improves alongside them when the underlying cause is treated.

Why this is worth addressing. Untreated sexual dysfunction causes loss of self-confidence, frustration, and conflict within interpersonal relationships. Those consequences are real and they compound over time, which is why it matters that patients experiencing these symptoms seek care from a trained medical professional rather than waiting it out.

Where it comes from

Several contributors, usually working together

Menopause is the most common driver. Declining estrogen reduces blood flow to the urogenital region and thins the tissue, which affects lubrication, comfort, and sensitivity all at once.

Metabolic disease — diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease — damages the small blood vessels and nerves that arousal depends on, in much the same way it does elsewhere in the body.

Certain medications contribute more often than most patients realize. Antidepressants and oral contraceptives are the two we see most, and reviewing your current prescriptions costs nothing.

Pre-existing conditions such as endometriosis or ovarian cysts can cause pain and dysfunction directly, and need to be identified rather than worked around.

Contributors to sexual dysfunction Four contributing factors — menopause, metabolic disease, medications, and pre-existing conditions — all feeding into sexual function. Menopause declining estrogen Metabolic disease diabetes, blood pressure Medications antidepressants, the pill Existing conditions endometriosis, cysts Sexual function

How it's treated

Two approaches, used alone or together

Both target the same underlying problem from different directions: the health and blood supply of the tissue that arousal depends on. Many patients do best with a combination.

Regenerative procedure

Clitoral and G-Spot Rejuvenation

This procedure uses a series of small, localized injections in the clitoris, near the urethra, and in the intravaginal wall. It can be performed with platelet-rich plasma — growth factors concentrated from your own blood — or with an umbilical allograft from a screened, accredited tissue bank.

The aim is to stimulate rejuvenation of endothelial cells that line the blood vessels of the urogenital region and have been damaged or have deteriorated over time, restoring appropriate blood flow and improving sexual arousal. It also works on the erectile tissue of the clitoris itself, improving sensitivity to stimulation, excitation, and the capability to achieve orgasm. Patients with urinary incontinence often benefit as well.

Patients who undergo the procedure may also experience improved capability to achieve orgasm from vaginal penetration, smoother and healthier skin of the vulva, improved natural lubrication, the capability to achieve multiple orgasms, and reduction or relief of pain with intercourse where it was present beforehand.

It can be performed on its own, or combined with topical medications or peptide therapies such as PT-141.

At a glance
SourceYour own blood (PRP), or screened umbilical allograft
How it worksGrowth factors rejuvenate endothelial cells, restoring blood flow to the region
AddressesArousal, sensitivity, orgasm, lubrication, pain with intercourse, urinary incontinence
What's involvedA series of small localized injections, performed in office
Combines withTopical medications or peptide therapy such as PT-141

Applied where it's needed

Localized testosterone and estrogen

Vaginal application of testosterone and estrogen is a low-risk and highly effective way to improve sexual arousal and the responsiveness of genital tissue. Because it acts locally, it can address the tissue directly without treating the whole body to solve a local problem.

Testosterone improves the health of vestibular tissue and enhances clitoral sensitivity — stopping pain with vaginal penetration and heightening genital sensation, which allows for a more fulfilling and enjoyable sex life.

Estrogen increases blood flow to the urogenital region, preventing vaginal atrophy and improving the health of the mucosal membrane. The practical result is that patients maintain appropriate lubrication without relying on additional creams or water-based personal lubricants.

Localized therapy can be used alongside systemic hormone replacement, or entirely on its own.

At a glance
AppliedLocally to the vaginal tissue rather than systemically
TestosteroneVestibular tissue health, clitoral sensitivity, relief of pain with penetration
EstrogenBlood flow, prevention of vaginal atrophy, mucosal health and natural lubrication
UsedOn its own, or in combination with systemic hormone replacement
RequiresBloodwork and a review of your personal and family history

What to expect

A private, unhurried conversation

At Buckeye Physical Medicine & Rehab, we understand sexual dysfunction can dramatically affect quality of life. All consultations are performed discreetly in a private setting, and all procedures and treatments are performed in office by our highly trained and licensed medical professionals.

Women routinely tell us they raised this once with a physician, got a brief answer or none at all, and didn't bring it up again. That's a common experience and not an acceptable one. You'll speak with our Medical Director directly, and the evaluation is thorough because the answer genuinely differs from one patient to the next.

The treatments described on this page are provided following clinical evaluation and are not appropriate for every patient. Platelet-rich plasma and allograft injections for female sexual function are not FDA-approved for this indication and are regarded as investigational, with limited published evidence to date. Compounded bio-identical hormone preparations are not FDA-approved, and there is no FDA-approved testosterone product indicated for women in the United States; such prescribing is off-label. Hormone therapy carries risks that vary by patient, dose, and route, which your provider will review with you. Individual results vary and no outcome can be guaranteed. Sexual dysfunction can reflect underlying medical, hormonal, or gynecologic conditions that warrant evaluation. This page is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for a medical evaluation or for discussing your personal health history with a licensed provider.

Take the first step to a more fulfilling sex-life. Click the link below to schedule a free consultation.

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