A Hackensack University study into female sexual dysfunction, published in the British Journal of Urology International, identified problems achieving orgasm and lack of desire as the most common sexual dysfunctions. The survey involved nearly 600 women aged between 18 and 95 and asked about: lack of desire, arousal issues, lack of lubrication, problems achieving orgasm, lack of satisfaction and intercourse pain.

Alarmingly, almost two-thirds of the women surveyed reported at least one problem area. "We found that 63 percent of the women suffered from FSD and that there were significant links between FSD and age, menopausal status and use of selective antidepressants," said study co-author Debra Fromer.

Key findings included:

* The top overall problem was lack of desire (47%), followed by orgasm problems (45%), arousal issues (40%), lack of satisfaction (39%), lack of lubrication (37%) and pain (36%).

* The most sexually active age groups were 31-45 year-olds (87%), 18-30 year-olds (85%) and 46-54 year-olds (74%). It then fell sharply in 55-70 year-olds (45%) and in women who were over 70 (15%).

* Five of the six problem areas increased as the women got older: desire from 36 to 96%, arousal from 27 to 54%, lubrication from 26 to 45%, satisfaction from 28 to 88% and pain from 10 to 56%.

* The only problem that improved with age was orgasm, with problems higher in the 18-30 age group (54%) than in the 31-45 (43%) and 46-54 (48%) age groups.

"Researchers have found significant associations between major categories of sexual dysfunction, reduced physical and emotional satisfaction and general well-being. That is why it is so important to ensure that problems are identified and tackled wherever possible," concluded From