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Erschienen in:
27.10.2022 | Female Sexual Dysfunction and Disorders (A Stanton, Section Editor)
Sexual Trauma Moderates Hormonal Mediators of Women’s Sexual Function
Erschienen in: Current Sexual Health Reports | Ausgabe 4/2022
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Purpose of Review
Hormones undeniably play a role in women’s sexual function, but there is much controversy regarding when and how—potentially because psychological effects of hormones depend on social and developmental context. Existing literature documents various health outcomes of sexual trauma and hormonal changes, however, specific mechanisms linking trauma experiences and hormones to sexual wellbeing remain unclear. This review aims to bridge two disparate lines of research, illustrating how sexual trauma may moderate the role of hormones in supporting women’s sexual function.
Recent Findings
Testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and cortisol orchestrate an array of physiological, behavioral, psychological, and social effects, each of which may be impacted by sexual trauma experiences. In particular, the adaptive role of steroid hormones in regulating approach and avoidance of sexual behavior may be disrupted by sexual trauma experiences, especially childhood sexual abuse. Mirroring hormonal effects on anxious, depressed, and anhedonic mood, hormones show wide individual variation in effects on sexual function, and sexual trauma may amplify these effects, leading to more extreme sexual outcomes.
Summary
Research synthesized here supports the notion that effects of sexual trauma on sexual physiology and psychology have been inconsistently considered in basic and applied research—often neglected as a factor altogether or grouped with non-sexual trauma types. Yet, many processes by which hormones regulate women’s sexual motivation and pleasure, such as attention to sexual cues and reward processing, are impacted by sexual trauma. Poor consideration of factors related to sexual trauma has likely contributed to variable reported effects of hormones on women’s sexual wellbeing. As such, we propose that clinical research examining the role of hormonal treatments in sexual wellbeing should account for women’s sexual trauma histories.