Life is fast paced, hectic even. Between work, home, our families and our appointments… not to mention paying the bills and taking care of the beloved pet, let’s face it, sometimes a gal just isn’t in the mood. Factor in the hormone roller coaster and you have the complex state of being a woman. That’s normal. But for some women, their inability to achieve and maintain arousal leads to an impact on libido and when it persists it becomes a self-perpetuating cycle as women pull further away from engagement in sexual intimacy. This phenomenon is known as the Arousal Deficit Cycle and can impact many women at different stages of life. Let’s explore what the Arousal Deficit Cycle is and how understanding it can be the first step in changing the pattern.
What is the Arousal Deficit Cycle
The Arousal Deficit Cycle is a psychological pattern characterized by an individual’s difficulty inability in maintaining, increasing or decreasing their levels of arousal effectively, which means being unable to maintain, increase, or decrease their state of alertness and responsiveness. The Arousal Deficit Cycle describes a psychological pattern where a person has difficulty regulating their arousal levels effectively. For some, this cycle can lead to chronic feelings of emotional detachment, numbness or indifference. On the other end of the spectrum, it can manifest as intense emotions and difficulty returning to a balanced state. Yes, too much arousal is not necessarily a bonus. Getting to this place can be caused by many reasons. In some cases it can stem from emotional and psychological states and in others it can be caused by a lack of satisfying encounters connected to physiological reasons. Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) can be linked to things such as sexual pain, low desire, low arousal and orgasmic dysfunction.*
Sexual pain is a common complaint in women of all ages and may include pain at the vulva, deep pain with penetration or tightening of the pelvic musculature. Common causes are post-childbirth scaring or Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), however there are more complex instances of dyspareunia that call for gynecological support.
Women with low desire will experience an absence or reduction in sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity that causes distress. SomeA number of women experience awill present to their healthcare providers with symptoms related to low arousal that may manifest as decrease in vaginal lubrication and a decrease in genital warmth related blood flow, along with the associated sensation of warmth. For women complaining of distress related to delayed or absent orgasms, it is necessary to understand if it is situational or acquired. For women who are troubled by delayed or absent orgasms, it’s crucial to determine if this issue is “situational” (happens only in certain scenarios or with certain partners) or “acquired” (something that wasn’t a problem before but has become one over time).Orgasmic dysfunction is often associated with other forms of FSD; for example, women patients with sexual pain and poor arousal will often find it difficult to reach orgasm.*
It likely comes as no surprise, that as women move through the cycle from physiological issues, to inadequate stimulation, to unsatisfying encounters, to decreased expectations, where you eventually land at decreased arousal (See Figure 1.). As discouraging and defeating as this cycle can feel, sexual pleasure is an important part of a healthy life and it is possible to change the outcome with a little help to shift the pattern to a more positive trajectory – or even break it.
How Cliovana Works to Break the Cycle
Cliovana™ is a simple and 100% non-invasive treatment that may help women have better great sexual experiences more of the time. Using sound wave technology, it is the only patented protocol that has been proven in soft tissue therapies for decades. By focusing on the clitoral region, Cliovana™ may help women have increased sensitivity during sex, leading to more orgasmic pleasure. With increased clitoral sensitivity, stimulation has the ability to have greater impact, leading to greater sensation, more satisfying encounters and increased arousal. This allows women to have more positive increased expectations from sex and ultimately makes focusing on sexual health or other physiological issues feel less burdensome. If you feel stuck, unexcited about sex and ultimately unsatisfied, talk to your practitioner about how Cliovana™ could help.
REFERENCES:
*Karakowsky, Y., & Grober, E. D. (2018) A Practical Guide to Female Sexual Dysfunction: An Evidence-Based Review For Physicians in Canada. Canadian Urological Association Journal. doi:10.5489/cuaj.4907
Backlink: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5994984/
Latif, E. Z., & Diamond, M. P. (2013) Arriving at the Diagnosis of Female Sexual Dysfunction. Fertility and Sterility. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnestert.2013.08.006
