A study of women with and without sexual dysfunctions in Poland found that mindfulness monotherapy increased sexual desire and arousal in all participating women. It also led to better lubrication and orgasms in women with sexual dysfunctions. The paper was published in Sexual Medicine.
Female sexual activity is influenced by a wide range of factors including stress, emotional state, and self-esteem. These can significantly affect libido and sexual response. Hormonal changes, such as those during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, or menopause, can also impact sexual desire and activity. Relationship dynamics, including intimacy levels, communication, and partner compatibility, play a crucial role in sexual satisfaction and frequency. Additionally, physical health, including medical conditions and medications, can also influence sexual functioning and drive.
At times, a combination of these factors can lead to sexual dysfunctions in women. Such dysfunctions may manifest as decreased libido, difficulty in achieving orgasm, or pain during intercourse. These issues can diminish the overall quality of sexual life. Sexual quality of life is defined as “the individual’s subjective evaluation of the positive and negative aspects of one’s sexual relationship, and his/her subsequent affective response to this evaluation.”
Cognitive-behavioral techniques have proven to be effective for treating sexual dysfunctions. This is to a large extent the case because cognitive components, such as dysfunctional sexual beliefs, are important determinants of the lack of sexual desire. Their presence also fosters depressive moods.
Study author Izabela Jadarek and her colleagues wanted to assess the effect of mindfulness therapy on sexual dysfunction symptoms and sex-related quality of life. They were also interested in knowing whether the effects of therapy will persist after the intervention. Mindfulness therapy is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that combines mindfulness practices, such as meditation and focused attention on the present moment, with psychological strategies to help manage mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and stress.
The study involved 93 women aged between 20 and 45 years. To be included, participants had to be heterosexual, in a stable sexual relationship, and sexually active, yet experiencing difficulties in sexual functioning. Of these women, 53 met the diagnostic criteria for sexual dysfunction, while 40 did not but were interested in learning meditation to see if it would enhance their sexual life quality.
Participants attended four mindfulness training sessions, each lasting 2.5 hours, spaced one week apart. These sessions included extensive meditations and brief daily mindfulness exercises. Before and after the study, participants underwent assessments of sexual functioning (using the Female Sexual Function Index), mindfulness (using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire), and sex-related quality of life (using the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire).
The results revealed that at the beginning of the study, 91% of women in the sexual dysfunction group and 33% of those in the non-dysfunction group exhibited clinical levels of sexual dysfunction symptoms. Five months after the treatment, these numbers decreased to 47% in the sexual dysfunction group and 7% in the non-dysfunction group. Notably, desire and arousal improved in all women, and lubrication and orgasm quality/frequency improved in the dysfunction group.
It’s important to note that improvements were observed in both groups across all sexual functioning indicators. However, due to the small size of the groups, these differences were significant enough for the researchers to consider them likely true improvements only in the specified areas. Both groups also experienced enhanced sex-related quality of life following the treatment.
“The applied mindfulness training was beneficial in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions in terms of increasing desire and arousal, as well as the ability to reach orgasm. An increase in sexual quality of life was also observed after the intervention. However, this therapeutic approach certainly needs more investigation before it can be recommended as an effective intervention in the treatment of sexual dysfunction,” study authors conclude.
The study sheds light on the effects of mindfulness-based training on the symptoms of sexual dysfunction. However, it also has limitations that need to be taken into account. Notably, the study design did not utilize a control group, so it is impossible to know whether the improvement in symptoms was the result of the applied treatment, of some other factors in effect at the same time, or if it simply represents a natural withdrawal of symptoms over time. Although the authors occasionally referred to the group of women without sexual dysfunctions as a control group in their paper, this does not align with the typical usage of the term in scientific research.
The paper, “Assessment of the effect of mindfulness monotherapy on sexual dysfunction symptoms and sex-related quality of life in women”, was authored by Izabela Jaderek, Katarzyna Obarska, and Michał Lew-Starowicz.