During sexual arousal, a woman’s vagina typically becomes lubricated, making it wetter and ready for sex. Many women find that lubrication makes sex more comfortable or enjoyable because it reduces friction and irritation.

However, sometimes women experience vaginal dryness. The vagina does not lubricate enough, leading to pain or discomfort. This can happen when estrogen levels drop during menopause. Vaginal dryness can also occur when a woman is breastfeeding, undergoing chemotherapy, or when she has been treated for breast cancer.

There are many things men can do to improve erectile function. Many of them provide other health benefits as well, so it makes sense to give them a try.

Side effects of testosterone therapy for women can include acne, extra hair growth, weight gain, and fluid retention. Some women have mood swings and become angry or hostile. In rarer circumstances, women develop deeper voices and baldness. Clitoral enlargement is another rare side effect.

Anorgasmia refers to an inability to reach orgasm within a desired amount of time. Some people with anorgasmia are unable to climax at all. Their bodies become aroused (a man has an erection, for example), but no orgasm occurs.

The term “dyspareunia” means painful intercourse. A woman may feel pain at the start of penetration, with trusting, or when there is deep penetration.  Pain may happen only with specific partners or in certain positions, or with all partners and all positions.

Vaginismus – now classified under the umbrella of genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorders (GPPPD) – causes a woman’s pelvic floor muscles to contract at the attempt of vaginal penetration, making the vagina narrower and tighter. These muscle spasms are involuntary, and women with vaginismus often have trouble with any type of vaginal penetration, such as vaginal intercourse, tampon insertion, and gynecological exams. Penetration, when possible, is usually quite painful and causes great anxiety. For some women, intercourse is impossible.

Autonomic dysreflexia is a dangerous situation that can happen to men with spinal cord injuries located at T6 or above. When autonomic dysreflexia occurs, the nervous system has an exaggerated response to stimulation below the level of injury. Symptoms include sweating, headache, nasal congestion, vision problems, and chills. Autonomic dysreflexia can dramatically increase blood pressure, which in turn can lead to stroke, seizure, and death.

Most men with spinal cord injury cannot ejaculate during sexual intercourse.

The spinal cord is involved with two phases of the ejaculatory process. The first allows semen to move into the urethra. The second allows that semen to be pushed out of the urethra. For all of this to happen, chemical messages need to travel between the brain and the genitals via the spinal cord. But when a man has spinal cord injury, this travel is impaired.

There are two main methods that can help men with spinal cord injury ejaculate.

BPH, or benign prostatic hyperplasia, is an enlargement of the prostate, a walnut-sized gland that produces the seminal fluid that mixes with sperm when a man ejaculates.

Research has shown that, for some men, taking NSAIDs regularly increases the chances of erectile dysfunction.

A penile implant, sometimes called a penile prosthesis, is a device that is surgically inserted into a penis and allows men with erectile dysfunction (ED) to achieve an erection suitable for intercourse. While prostheses generally have high satisfaction rates among men and their partners, getting a penile implant is a big decision.