Two new studies link sexual fulfillment and overall wellness for women. One researcher describes the lack of awareness women have about their bodies, while another reminds us that satisfaction doesn’t always mean having more sex.
An Australian study, “Sexual Satisfaction and Well-Being in Women,” published recently in The Journal of Sexual Medicine finds that women who identified as having low sexual satisfaction had a diminished sense of well-being and vitality.
Mood scores were also lower. Most importantly, these women were not diagnosed with depression. The study surveyed 421 women from age 18 to 65 in the community.
Susan Davis, one of the study’s authors from the Women’s Health Program at Monash University in Melbourne, noted that “dissatisfied” isn’t just a matter of quantity. “The frequency of sexual activity didn’t really differ substantially between women who were dissatisfied and women who were satisfied," she said.
Davis explained that female sexual activity seems deeper than personal pleasure and may sometimes stem from obligation, “which would suggest that the frequency of sexual activity is not necessarily defined by whether or not the woman wants to engage in sexual activity and it’s an event she enjoys, it’s defined by the relationship she has with the partner.”
“I think it’s really an important point because many women said they wouldn’t care if they never have sex again in their life,” said Davis. Conversely, women who identified as satisfied didn’t always have a partner. This displays how complex feminine sexuality is and how treating something like female sexual dysfunction is still tricky.
The Australian study concludes with the assertion that “this finding in non-depressed women reinforces the importance of addressing sexual satisfaction as an essential component of the overall well-being of women.” Whatever that might mean to each person.
While Davis said her group's survey did not ask their participants if dissatisfaction came from a lack of personal knowledge, another study from September’s International Journal of Sexual Health found that women’s attitudes toward their own bodies, specifically their genitals, may impact how involved they are in their sexuality.
Debra Herbenick, of The Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., authored “The Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Attitudes Toward Women’s Genitals.”
Herbenick’s study surveyed 241 men and 364 women, recording their attitudes toward female genitals. The study implies that the information gathered might be applied to a woman’s likelihood to use contraception, reach orgasm or visit the gynecologist based on her attitudes about her own anatomy and sexuality; which could then lead to higher overall health.
Herbenick, who gained internet notoriety after appearing on Tyra Bank’s show with a vulva puppet, pointed out that many women still don’t know the proper names for their body parts, let alone whether or not they’re normal in the grand scheme. “You can’t even see the vagina, it’s inside of you. So the fact that we say ‘boys have a penis and girls have a vagina’ is kind of funny since you’re not even seeing that part.”
Herbenick explained that due to feminine hygiene commercials and a possible lack of education, many women believe that their bodies are dirty or abnormal which then affects their engagement in sex and reproductive health care.
Men’s attitudes were actually higher about a female’s appearance than her own. “Frankly, men have probably seen far more women’s genitals than women have. Men have been exposed both through their partners and through porn and I think generally understand that there’s a lot of variation.”
So next time your boyfriend says you look fine, it’s probably OK to believe him.
“We shouldn’t be raising girls who feel embarrassed about their bodies, we should be raising girls with more familiarity, more knowledge, comfort,” said Herbenick. “Giving them the right names for their body parts would be a great start. We can make it fun and we can talk to each other and make some changes in those ways.”
