I’m Not a Nymphomaniac, I Have PSAS
Health — By Lori Braun on November 21, 2006 at 10:16 am
Constant, persisting sexual arousal…what comes to mind?
A dream come true? Memories of your first love?
For a certain population of women, persistent sexual arousal is no enjoyable-or joking-matter. Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome (PSAS) is the unrelenting feeling of genital arousal.
Vaginal congestion, lubrication, tingling and even breast sensitivity occur spontaneously. These physical feelings are intrusive and unwanted. PSAS is not to be confused with hypersexuality, commonly referred to as nymphomania. Hypersexuality is a compulsive desire for sex. Women with PSAS have no excessive desire for sex.
Women who suffer from PSAS (and research is ongoing to determine just how many there are) find that unwanted arousal can overtake their life. They can’t work. They can’t sleep. Frequent masturbation or other forms of sexual release are needed to keep the feelings at bay. While some might take the arousal as a positive, many women fall into a depression because of feelings of helplessness, shame and confusion. For all of these reasons, a woman may not approach her doctor with the complaint.
Arousal disorders are among the most complicated in women. Subjective feelings of arousal are not clearly connected to the physiological markers of arousal (as in men). So when the body is off to the races and the mind is not, it can be a traumatizing experience. At the other end of the spectrum are women who feel attracted to their partners, but find that their bodies don’t respond.
The causes of PSAS are still not clear and neither are the solutions. Some women experience PSAS because of abnormal clitoral blood flow, which can be investigated with an ultrasound. Others may develop symptoms as a result of neurological changes after an injury or accident. However, the vast majority of cases have no identifiable cause. Treatments include anti-depressant medications, numbing gels and therapy.
Creating a dialogue about this poorly understood condition is a step in the right direction. The more women who come forward about PSAS, the more chances we have to effectively treat it. We can only hope that research continues to offer answers to all women, no matter where they fall along the arousal spectrum.
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4 Comments
A loving man who understood a woman’s problems in this area would go a long way towards making the condition a positive instead of all negative. I personally would consider her problem more of a challenge, not for me to try and have intercourse every hour (I don’t think I could keep up with that schedule for long,) but to help her find orgasms in other ways when ever she wanted one or ten, and to make her feel like she is doing something I very much like when she lets me pleasure her. There are so many awful things that can befall a marriage. This seems like a bump in the road if BOTH partners are dedicated to making the woman feel loved and sexually satisfied frequently.
I hope I don’t sound like a know it all. I certainly have not had this happen to me. But What an exciting woman she would be to have a sexual arousal so pronounced. I would feel blessed indeed if such a woman were to be my partner.
Bill
Pardon me for forgetting to ask a question when I wrote my previous letter. I have CRS. Can’t remember s***
Is there any connection between PSAS and greatly increased size of a woman’s clitoris when she is a regular user of anabolic steroids?
Just a thought.
Bill
I agree with Bill.
I think the problem is that girls are, for the most part, not used to the idea of being as horny as a guy. Or at least as FREQUENTLY as a guy. Guys are horny all the damn time. Most girls are not. So, maybe you’re just not used to that concept.
I dunno, to me, this just reveals a double standard in society. If a man is perpetually horny, he’s considered virile. If a girl is perpetually horny, she’s considered a slut. It’s a grievous misconception.
Don’t associate your condition so negatively. Do what Bill says. If you have a man, try to make it a positive. Hell, you two might end up having a sex life that would make even the guys at Hustler blush. And at least he won’t be whining about “How she’s never in the moooood!”
Like Bill said, try to see it as a challenge. Not a problem.
But if it happens to hit you at an awkward moment and you have no release (like if you’re stuck in a conversation you can’t get out of), just try to focus on the task at hand with all your might. It might just pass. Remember, guys deal with this almost every damn day. If we can do it, so can you.
Just a thought.
Anyhow, good luck.
Oh and let me tell you. Like Bill, I wish I had a girl like you, too.
Peace out.
What about a temporary case of PSAS? I had it like the past year and a half and it was wonderful — my husband and my marriage was about the best ever (I am 50) — now I’m afraid its going away — can I get it back? Was there a lopsidedness to my hormones that caused it to happen and can I make them lopsided again..? LOL PLEASE! ;)