Women's sexual arousal concurrently assessed by three genital measures

The relationship among three objective measures of genital vasocongestion in women was evaluated both during and after an erotic film using simultaneous recording of both vaginal pressure pulse and vaginal blood volume responses by means of photoplethysmography and of labial temperature change by means of a thermistor clip. During the film each of the genital measures increased for most subjects, resulting in highly significant positive correlations between measures. However, following the erotic film presentation there was considerably less direct correspondence among the three measures; although the genital reactions of most subjects subsided to some extent following the film, none of the three measures consistently returned to prestimulation levels. Periodic estimates of subjective levels of sexual arousal were significantly correlated with each of the genital measures during the erotic film but were not significantly correlated with any after the film.This investigation is based in part on an Undergraduate Honors Thesis submitted by the senior investigator to the President's Scholars Program of Southern Illinois University.     

Habituation of female sexual arousal to slides and film

The habituation of genital and subjective sexual arousal in women was assessed. In a first experiment 32 women were randomly assigned to either a constant stimulus condition in which subjects were exposed to the same erotic slide on repeated trials within one session, or to a varied stimuli condition in which subjects were exposed to various erotic slides. A second experiment assessed habituation of sexual responses of 42 women to erotic film excerpts. In both experiments repeated erotic stimulation was followed by a novel erotic stimulus to study the effect of novel simulation to a sequence of uniform stimulation. In the first experiment a floor effect was found in response to the first three trials that prevented a valid interpretation of responding on subsequent trials. We conclude that slides yield too little sexual arousal in female subjects. In the second experiment only a slight decline in genital responding was observed. Women sustained considerable levels of genital arousal even after 21 trials of uniform stimulation. Facial EMG was used as a physiological marker of emotional experience. Zygomatic activity decreased over trials, suggesting decreasing positive affect as a result of uniform stimulation. Results are discussed in the context of selective attention, characteristics of the habituation stimulus, and novelty.This research was supported in part by Grant R 56-385 and SIR 12-1133 from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO).     

The physiology of sexual arousal in the human female: a recreational and procreational synthesis

Changes induced by human sexual arousal serve reproductive and recreational functions. The current sexual phase model (desire, excitation, orgasm, and resolution) conveys little about this duarchy. Lack of spontaneous sexual desire in a third of nonclinic females indicates that the D phase needs splitting into D1 (the spontaneous endogenous activation of desire) and D2 (desire activated by sexual excitation at and during the E phase). Attempts to link D1 with reproduction by studies monitoring it over the menstrual cycle revealed a D1 peak just before or at ovulation, but its reliability is criticized because of the poor identification of the time of ovulation. Sexual arousal initiates enhanced genital blood flow, leading to the formation of a neurogenic transudate, lubricating the vagina, partly buffering its acidity, and increasing its oxygen tension all features that enhance spermatozoal function and survival. Orgasm occurs with vaginal and uterine contractions. The latter have been misinterpreted as powering rapid sperm transport to facilitate fertilization, but such fast transport would lead to the tubal deposition of noncapacitated, incompetent spermatozoa. Vagino–cervico elevation, however, delays rapid sperm transport and allows the initiation of decoagulation and sperm capacitation before the elevation resolves. The fastest transport of spermatozoa from cervix to the fallopian tubes occurs in the nonaroused female by uterine/subendometrial smooth muscle peristalsis. There is some evidence that even this may be reduced for a time after coitus, adding to the transport delay. If a number of the changes induced by sexual arousal are inadequately expressed, sexual as well as reproductive dysfunctions could arise.     

The habituation of sexual arousal

The effects of two levels of stimulus intensity (medium and high) and two levels of stimulus variability (varied stimuli and constant stimuli) on the habituation of subjective and physiological sexual arousal were investigated in a 2 X 2 factorial design. Forty male volunteers served as subjects. It was hypothesized that, as compared to constant stimuli, varied stimuli would produce higher rates of response attenuation on indices of sexual arousal. This hypothesis was confirmed for both penile response and a subjective measure of sexual arousal. Second, it was hypothesized that stimuli of medium intensity would produce higher rates of response of attenuation on subjective and physiological indices of sexual arousal than would stimuli of high intensity. This hypothesis was partially confirmed for subjective arousal but was not confirmed for the physiological measure of sexual arousal. These results were interpreted as supporting the notions that sexual arousal to erotic stimuli decreases with repeated stimulus presentations and, since the experimental design properly controlled for physiological fatigue, that a habituation process is involved in this observed decrement. The implications of habituation for sex research are discussed.     

Psychophysiological and endocrine responses to sexual arousal in women

The unexplored possibility that a sexually induced endocrine response might prime further sexual arousal in women guided the current investigation. Healthy, premenopausal, heterosexual women in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycle were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. The experimental group was exposed to a sexually explicit videotape, while the control group saw a nonerotic videotape. Ninety minutes later both groups saw a sexually explicit videotape. Vaginal vasocongestion and hormones (cortisol, prolactin, luteinizing hormone, testosterone) were measured continuously and subjective responses were sampled at 20-min intervals. Compared to controls, experimental subjects showed a greater amplitude and longer duration vaginal response to the second videotape. Subjective measures showed greater sexual response to the second erotic videotape compared to the first, an effect that was not mediated by the hormones measured here. Prolactin decreased significantly across the session for both groups, and several behavioral and affective responses were significantly correlated with hormonal levels. Commonalities and divergence with results of prior research point to the complexity and subtlety of endocrine interactions with sexual response as well as likely sex differences in hormone—behavioral interactions.     

Sexual arousal as a function of physiological and cognitive variables in a sexual offender population

Physiological and cognitive variables may compromise the physiological assessment of sexual arousal, particularly in forensic settings. Thus, the effects of physiological and cognitive variables as potential moderators need investigation with respect to physiological measures of sexual arousal. Penile erection, demographic, and psychometric data were analyzed among 169 inpatient adult male sexual offenders. The hypotheses that (i) sexual arousability would be inversely related to age and (ii) subjects who were able to cognitively inhibit their sexual arousal would exhibit lower levels of pedophilic arousal than subjects who were unable to inhibit arousal were supported. Subject age did not interact with inhibition ability. Age and the presence of inhibitory ability appear to be arousability variables in that these variables mediate both deviant and nondeviant arousal.     

Thermographic measurement of sexual arousal: A discriminant validity analysis

Thermographic measurement was discovered to be a valid method for assessing human sexual arousal, in that it achieved adequate discriminant validity and that it covaried with self-reports of sexual arousal. The advantages of this procedure over other physiological methods are that it provides a thermogram indicating flow rate and transfer of heat, allows for cross-gender comparisons, and is a more ecologically valid method of assessing sexual arousal.This research was supported in part by a University Research Grant and Biomedical Research Support Funds for the University of California, Los Angeles.     

The effects of yohimbine plus L-arginine glutamate on sexual arousal in postmenopausal women with sexual arousal disorder

This study examined the effects of the nitric oxide-precursor L-arginine combined with the ₂-blocker yohimbine on subjective and physiological sexual arousal in postmenopausal women with Female Sexual Arousal Disorder. Twenty-four women participated in three treatment sessions in which self-report and physiological (vaginal photoplethysmograph) sexual responses to erotic stimuli were measured following treatment with either L-arginine glutamate (6 g) plus yohimbine HCl (6 mg), yohimbine alone (6 mg), or placebo, using a randomized, double-blind, three-way cross-over design. Sexual responses were measured at approximately 30, 60, and 90 min postdrug administration. The combined oral administration of L-arginine glutamate and yohimbine substantially increased vaginal pulse amplitude responses to the erotic film at 60 min postdrug administration compared with placebo. Subjective reports of sexual arousal were significantly increased with exposure to the erotic stimuli but did not differ significantly between treatment groups.     

Early-phase physiological response patterns to psychosexual stimuli: Comparison of male and female patterns

The onset and sequential changes of psychosexual arousal for male and female were compared. During an erotic film presentation, genital hemodynamic and groin skin temperature measures of sexual arousal recorded moderate to large increases for both sexes. A sequential analysis revealed strikingly similar male—female response patterns for both the genital and groin measures of arousal. Thus, the commonly held view that males typically show a greater sexual responsivity to visual erotic stimuli than do females was not supported.These results were presented in part at the 1985 annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Boston.This research partially fulfilled the requirements for Ph.D. in the Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the first author.     

人防御素与女性生殖系统免疫防御

人防御素是一类富含半胱氨酸的内源性抗微生物活性肽,具有广谱抗细菌、抗真菌、抗原虫、抗病毒活性,同时具有联系先天免疫和后天获得性免疫的作用,是人体天然防御机制的重要组成部分.人防御素广泛分布于女性生殖道,对女性生殖系统抵抗微生物感染、维持生殖健康等免疫防御反应起重要作用.     

A comparison of male and female patterns of sexual arousal

The structural patterns of sexual arousal are examined for eight male and eight female heterosexuals. Comparisons are made in terms of physiological and subjective arousal. The results indicate (1) that males and females differ in both the direction and magnitude of their arousal response to a variety of erotic stimuli and (2) that there is a stronger correspondence between subjective and physiological measures of sexual arousal for males than for females. A social acceptability and/or unacceptability theory is suggested to account for similarities and differences between the male and female structural patterns of arousal. Several methods of assessing subjective arousal are included to represent those most frequently used in clinical research settings. It is demonstrated that each of the subjective measures discriminates between erotic conditions and that the information provided by each of the measures are comparable.Research was funded by VA Grant No. 041-34-7119 (1977).     

The sexual development and life of female schizophrenic patients

The sexual development of 51 female schizophrenics, their attitudes toward sex, and their sexual activity and arousability were investigated. The control group consisted of 101 gynecological patients. The sexual development of the female schizophrenics was significantly retarded, and their sexual activity and arousability significantly lowered in adult life compared with the control group. The hypothesis is advanced that the retarded development may be caused by some biological factor, while sexuality in adult life is negatively affected primarily by social isolation.     

Women's sexual and emotional responses to male- and female-produced erotica

Whether erotic films made by women are more arousing for women than erotic films made by men was studied. Forty-seven subjects were exposed to both a woman-made, female-initiated, and female-centered, erotic film excerpt and a man-made, male-initiated, and male-centered erotic film excerpt. Photoplethysmographic vaginal pulse amplitude was recorded continuously. Self-report ratings of sexual arousal and affective reactions were collected after each stimulus presentation. Contrary to expectation, genital arousal did not differ between films, although genital response to both films was substantial. Subjective experience of sexual arousal was significantly higher during the woman-made film. The man-made film evoked more feelings of shame, guilt, and aversion. Correlations between subjective experience of sexual arousal and photoplethysmographic measures of sexual arousal were nonsignificant. The largest contribution to female sexual excitement might result from the processing of stimulus-content and stimulus-meaning and not from peripheral vasocongestive feedback.     

Stimuli eliciting sexual arousal in genital exhibitionists: A possible clinical application

The sexually arousing effects of erotic and nonerotic slides were monitored with a penile mercury strain gauge in 14 exhibitionists, 21 normal controls, and 34 nonexhibitionist sex offenders. Responses to 60 slides, constituting 12 distinct categories, were analyzed. The exhibitionists responded sexually to scenes of fully clothed erotically neutral females, whereas the two control groups did not respond to this slide material. No other significant differences were observed between the three groups on the remaining 11 categories. The results support previous reports of sexual arousal in exhibitionists to nonerotic signals from females and are consistent with a hypothesis of exhibitionists displaying culturally unapproved sexual display signals as a consequence of cortical disinhibition.Supported by a research grant from Alberta Hospital Edmonton.     

The role of anxiety on sexual arousal

Sex therapists have long argued that anxiety is the primary psychological mechanism that underlies the interference with sexual arousal that is responsible for such conditions as erectile failure. However, laboratory research on anxiety's effects has yielded mixed results. Studies have found that sexual arousal may be unaffected, disrupted, or even facilitated by anxiety. Fiftyfour men, ages 21–46, viewed a series of erotic videotape segments after having received one of three types of information; (i) neutral feedback, (ii) feedback indicating that they would be receiving a painful electric shock, and (iii) feedback indicating that their level of sexual arousal during baseline measurement was subnormal. Subsequent plethysmographic measurement of sexual arousal while viewing the erotic material revealed that leading subjects to worry either about their physical well-being (shock threat) or their psychosexual well-being (negative feedback) were both effective strategies for interfering substantially with sexual arousal. The hypothesis that attention/memory would mediate the effects of anxiety on arousal received only partial support. Theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are explored.This research was supported in part by an NIH Biomedical Research Support Grant RR-07092 to the second author.     

A comparison of structural patterns of sexual arousal in male and female homosexuals

Patterns of sexual arousal were examined for eight male and eight female homosexuals. Comparisons were made in terms of physiological and subjective arousal. The results indicate that for each group there exists very distinct arousal responses, with each group showing the greatest response to same-gender homosexual activity. Results are discussed in relationship to establishing normative data for assessment and clinical function.     

Female sexual arousal and the law of initial value: Assessment at several phases of the menstrual cycle

Genital responses to erotic film and fantasy were recorded from 10 women at five phases of the menstrual cycle by means of vaginal photoplethysmography. Relationships between baseline (prestimulation) and difference (stimulation minus prestimulation) levels of response were examined. Neither vaginal blood volume nor average pulse amplitude conformed to the law of initial value (the higher the baseline level, the less will be the difference score). Baseline levels and difference scores generally were positively correlated at each phase of the menstrual cycle in the case of average pulse amplitude. For blood volume the correlations between baseline levels and difference scores were inconsistent in direction and small in magnitude, but trends differed between phases of the menstrual cycle. It is recommended that measures of female sexual arousal obtained through testing women who are at different phases of the cycle should not be aggregated unless it is established that the relationship between baseline levels and difference scores is uniform across phases.