Determinants of subjective experience of sexual arousal in women: Feedback from genital arousal and erotic stimulus content

Abstract

Sixty-two women participated in a study designed to explore the association between genital and subjective sexual arousal. Four stimulus conditions were created, designed to evoke differential patterns of genital arousal over time. Subjects were instructed to report sensations in their genitalia while being exposed to the same erotic stimulus on repeated trials or to a series of varying erotic stimuli. Detection of genital arousal was facilitated by the occurrence of changes in genital arousal over trials. That is, genital and subjective sexual arousal were linearly related in conditions that resulted in large differences in genital arousal over trials, whereas such a relation was absent in conditions in which genital arousal levels remained relatively constant. In women, peripheral feedback from consciously detected genital arousal seems to be a relatively unimportant determinant of subjective sexual arousal.

PDE5 inhibitors beyond erectile dysfunction

“…The linear model of sexual response, which is true for men, disregards the relative independence between subjective and objective aspects of women's sexual response. 69 This can explain the lack of correlation between the improvement of objective arousal (for example, increase of clitoral blood flow) and the subjective sexual feelings. Moreover, the frequency of sexual fantasies or sexual thought has little correlation with sexual satisfaction in women.…”

The Female Sexual Response: A Different Model

“…Women mainly are speaking of mental excitement when they speak of sexual arousal (Heiman, 1988;Morokoff & Heiman, 1980;Laan, Everaerd, van der Velde, & Geer, 1995). During sexual arousal, women may experience an increase in muscle tension, heart rate, body heat and a holding of breath, along with increased sensitivity of various areas including the breasts; however, women do not tend to focus on these physical symptoms as a measure of their arousal.…”

Sexual dysfunction in diabetic women

“…Furthermore, although it is easy to quantify men's physiological sexual response by their erection, it is much more difficult for many women to recognise and appraise genital arousal and congestion. 5,77,78,[80][81][82][83] Additionally, cultural and psychosocial factors seem to play a significant role in female sexuality, while depression is a more prevalent and potentially more powerful factor in women as compared to men. 84 In general, the available data are controversial and the precise etiology and pathogenetic pathways of diabetes related female sexual disorders have not as yet been determined.…”