Part 2 book “Biopsychosocial factors in obstetrics and gynaecology” has contents: Psychosexual disorders, psychosocial aspects of fertility control, the psychobiology of birth, maternal psychosocial distress, biopsychosocial care after the loss of a baby, vicarious traumatization in maternity care providers, birth trauma and post-traumatic stress, and other contents. | Section 3 Sexual and Reproductive Health Chapter Psychosexual Disorders 22 Claudine Domoney and Leila Frodsham Introduction Psychosexual disorders demonstrate the clear link between mind and body. Somatization of distress is a common feature of sexual dysfunction in general, even if the primary cause is a physical one. Both men and women will present with sexual problems that are contextualized as a physical entity, although their psychological reaction to them may be unrecognized. The skills of psychosexual medicine seek to understand the combination of physical and psychological and therefore within the therapeutic relationship between healthcare professional (HCP) and patient, to achieve understanding of both conscious and unconscious responses. Presentation may be overt or covert. The experienced professional can reduce the exposure of the patient to unnecessary interventions and encourage more rapid resolution of symptoms. It is common that women presenting with dyspareunia or pelvic pain are subjected to a number of invasive investigations without any further understanding of their symptoms or their causes. Others with vulval pain are sent to clinics for specialist help that may not achieve a return to a normal quality of life until the impact on sexual life is acknowledged and addressed. Sexual problems presenting to the doctor, nurse, midwife or physiotherapist can be examined and treated using eyes and emotions as well as ears and hands. Prevalence Sexual difficulties are common in both men and women. A frequently cited paper from the United States reported a sexual dysfunction rate of 43% in women and 31% in men aged 18 to 59, yet this is frequently criticized as medicalizing normal, temporary changes in sexual function. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) [4] published in 2013 categorizes gender-specific sexual dysfunctions with a duration of at least six months with a frequency of 75–100%. This precise diagnostic .
