Abstract
Previous qualitative research on women’s sexual problems has documented the ways in which they can impact psychological well-being as well as women’s close interpersonal relationships. However, little attention has been paid to the ways that women with sexual problems negotiate sexual contact in the context of a relationship where sexual activity has a central role. This article draws on qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 23 heterosexual women who experienced sexual desire loss or vulvar pain. The data were analyzed within a material-discursive framework and this identified the centrality of relational and broader social factors in women’s sexual negotiation. Key findings included: avoiding potentially intimate situations; engaging in intercourse when it was painful or the women had no desire to; and mentally planning and preparing themselves for sex. Other sexual activities were almost always regarded as a prelude to intercourse, yet around half of the sample had adapted their sexual repertoire to compensate for an absence of intercourse. The implications for future research and treatment in the area of women’s sexual problems are discussed.
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Notes
Vulvar vestibulitis is described as the experience of severe pain when the vestibular area is touched or vaginal entry is attempted.
Vulvodynia is described as the experience of burning and soreness in the vulva area in the absence of an infection or skin condition.
We use the descriptor “vulvar pain.” We are, however, aware of recent arguments that pain disorders may not be as distinct as originally thought and, therefore, should be collapsed into a singular category called “genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder” (Binik, 2010).
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Acknowledgments
We thank the participants for sharing their experiences with us and the staff at the psychosexual clinic for help with recruitment. We also thank the Editor and the anonymous reviewers who provided helpful comments on an earlier version of this article.
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Hinchliff, S., Gott, M. & Wylie, K. A Qualitative Study of Heterosexual Women’s Attempts to Renegotiate Sexual Relationships in the Context of Severe Sexual Problems. Arch Sex Behav 41, 1253–1261 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9903-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9903-0