His and Her Health

My clitoris has no more sensation than my elbow. I can rub it and produce a physical state of arousal with swelling and moisture and orgasm, but there is no pleasure at all in any of this process. It isn't numbness: with numbness you feel numb! It's simply the clitoral area has lost its power to give me pleasure. <P>I did earlier apply a testosterone cream directly on the clitoris overnight; I have no idea if that could have had an effect. I take some medications which affect my desire and ability to orgasm, but nothing has been changed recently and nothing like this has ever happened before. <P>I have had this condition for over 6 weeks now. It might be hormonal, or it might be neurological (nerve problem). I am panicking.<P>Due to child sexual abuse, rape, endometriosis, hormone therapies, physical flashbacks, fear of touch, and psychotropic and antidepressive drugs, I have almost never had anything like a healthy, fun sex life. I am doing everything I can to make my sexuality possible and then this happens. <P>I am 36 and it is possible that I have early menopause, but that is not a symptom of menopause as far as I know.<P>HELP!!!!! Has this EVER happened to ANYBODY?????<P>------------------<BR>

Can be a side effect of some antidepressants. If you do other things to increase serotonin too, for example, drinking lots of coffee, that might add to loss of sensation.<P>There could be lots of things causing it, from what you said. <p>[This message has been edited by zaneblue (edited February 12, 2005).]

so you think it could be too much <BR>Thanks...<P>seratonin? Why?<P>the thing about the meds and problems is nothing has changed and this is totally new. I really don't want to rest on the assumption that my previous stuff suddenly caused this. It is really something totally new and extreme. Complete. Like nothing else.

To Zaneblue...I was reading your reply to usmousie about coffee increasing serotonin. Is it the caffeine in the coffee, or just the coffee itself. Does decaf coffee also increase serotonin?

It's the caffeine.<P>High serotonin levels and low dopamine levels cause the "I'm disconnected from my body" feeling. It's hard to specifically pinpoint one thing to balance them, because many things influence them, both physiological and environmental. Here's a partial list to show what I mean:<P>Things that raise serotonin: antidepressants, caffeine, nicotine, all starch and/or all sugar meals, compulsive behavior, even housecleaning and shopping can raise serotonin.<P>Things that raise dopamine:<BR>omega-3 fatty acids, some kinds of illegal drugs, good fats in meals, exercise, being in love, even meditation and massage can raise dopamine.<P>Some things raise both, for example smoking gives an initial burst of dopamine, but the ultimate effect is high serotonin. Exercise raises both, but I believe the dopamine wins out long-term. Wellbutrin raises both.<P>This is why the "take a bubble bath" advice works for some women. If their low dopamine levels are environmentally caused, changing the environment to allow for stress-free relaxation and pleasure will raise dopamine sufficiently. But that's not going to work if there's an underlying major physiological problem with dopamine levels.<P>The reason I don't think your problem is hormonal or nerve-related is that women who have those problems have problems with achieving orgasm. Your problem is feeling disconnected from the orgasms you are having, it sounds like. I think that's a neurotransmitter issue.<p>[This message has been edited by zaneblue (edited February 13, 2005).]