Female orgasmic disorder is a chronic sexual dysfunction that renders a woman unable to have an orgasm or able to achieve orgasm only with extreme difficulty. This condition might result from traumatic experience but also can develop because of problems within a relationship. For some, this disorder lasts a lifetime, but others might experience it only in specific situational settings or with particular partners. Female orgasmic disorder is most prevalent in younger women, and an estimated 10 percent of women never have orgasm, no matter the situation or the stimulation. Studies show that sufferers of female orgasmic disorder are likely to be sexually inexperienced, young and unmarried.

When a woman is sexually aroused, the blood vessels in her pelvic area expand and become engorged with blood. As the blood flow increases, so does the tension until it is released. This release, called an orgasm, is a pleasurable, rhythmic series of contractions in the uterus and vagina. Difficulty or inability to reach an orgasm after sexual stimulation and arousal can cause anger or frustration, and it can lead to resentment and other problems in a relationship. The absence of orgasm alone is not classified as female orgasmic disorder.

Female orgasmic disorder generally is diagnosed through a thorough psychological and medical history, including a history of the circumstances under which the orgasm fails to occur. Diagnosis of female orgasmic disorder can be difficult because other disorders have similar symptoms. Damage to blood vessels in the pelvic region, nerve damage and side effects from medications also can cause sexual dysfunction, which is not diagnosed as a disorder. Female orgasmic disorder is more likely to have a psychological cause than a physical cause. Lack of sufficient foreplay or sexual stimulation might cause failure to climax but is not diagnosed as female orgasmic disorder.

Treatment of female orgasmic disorders can range from a combination of traditional sex therapy and psychotherapy to exercises that will decrease inhibitions and increase stimulation. Other treatments include sex therapy for couples. The sex therapist might even assign “homework” that includes the use of relaxation techniques or Kegel exercises that improve the tone and strength of the muscles in the genital area. If female orgasmic disorder stems from relationship problems, psychotherapy might resolve tension caused by female orgasmic disorder. Holistic practitioners might recommend herbal remedies to increase arousal, and physicians might suggest prescription medications that increase blood flow to the genitals.