Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffAnorgasmia is the medical term for regular difficulty reaching orgasm after ample sexual stimulation, causing you personal distress. Anorgasmia is actually a very common occurrence, affecting at least 1 in 5 women worldwide.
Orgasms vary in intensity, and women vary in the frequency of their orgasms and the amount of stimulation necessary to trigger an orgasm. In fact, fewer than a third of women consistently have orgasms with sexual activity. Plus, orgasms often change with age, medical issues or medications you're taking.
If you're happy with the climax of your sexual activities, there's no need for concern. However, if you're bothered by lack of orgasm or the intensity of your orgasms, talk to your doctor about anorgasmia. Lifestyle changes and sex therapy may help.
- Frank JE, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of female sexual dysfunction. American Family Physician. 2008;77:635.
- Kammerer-Doak D, et al. Female sexual function and dysfunction. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2008;35:169.
- Kingsberg SA, et al. Female sexual disorders: Assessment, diagnosis and treatment. Urologic Clinics of North America. 2007;34:497.
- Giustozzi AA. Sexual dysfunction in women. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/169332872-5/912912390/2088/600.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00028-9--s2040_12318. Accessed Nov. 6, 2009.
- Becker JV, et al. Sexual desire disorders. In: Hales RE, et al., eds. The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry. 5th ed. Arlington, Va.: American Psychiatric Association; 2008. http://www.psychiatryonline.com. Accessed Nov. 6, 2009.
- Ginsberg TB. Aging and sexuality. The Medical Clinics of North America. 2006;90:1025.
- Shifren JL. Sexual dysfunction in women: Management. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 6, 2009.
- Shifren JL. Sexual dysfunction in women: Epidemiology, risk factors, and evaluation. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 6, 2009.
- Gallenberg MM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Nov. 7, 2009.
