Definitions and Clinical Framework
Sexual Health: A state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease and requires access to affirming, inclusive health care.
Sexual Dysfunction: Difficulties that individuals or couples experience in terms of sexual desire, arousal, physical and psychological response, and specific sexual behavior.
Gender Identity: An individual’s deeply held internal perception of their own gender, which may or may not align with the sex assigned to them at birth.
Gender Dysphoria: A marked incongruence between an individual’s experienced or expressed gender and their assigned gender at birth, lasting at least six months and causing significant distress or impairment.
Classifications of Sexual Dysfunction
Clinical diagnosis is typically based on the individual's current anatomy and subjective distress rather than their sex assigned at birth.
Male Dysfunctions: Delayed ejaculation, erectile disorder (difficulty obtaining or maintaining rigidity), male hypoactive sexual desire disorder, and premature ejaculation.
Female Dysfunctions: Female orgasmic disorder (infrequent or absent orgasm), female sexual interest/arousal disorder (lack of erotic thoughts or physical sensations), and genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder (including dyspareunia and vaginismus).
Clinical Specifiers: Dysfunctions are categorized as lifelong (since the first experience) or acquired (developing after a period of normal function), and as generalized (occurring in all situations) vs. situational.
Gender Dysphoria and Minority Stress