abnormal or impaired functioning of a system, organ, or process
From dys- (bad, difficult) + function, coined in 1910s
This medical term escaped into everyday language so successfully that we now talk about dysfunctional families, relationships, and even dysfunctional governments!
Sexual dysfunction terminology historically medicalized female pleasure/desire differently than male experience, embedding diagnostic bias. Terms like 'frigidity' pathologized women's sexuality while male equivalents remained clinical.
Use specific, symmetric language: 'arousal difficulty' or 'orgasm difficulty' rather than gendered labels like frigidity or impotence.
["arousal difficulty","orgasm difficulty","desire discrepancy"]
Women's sexual health was historically overshadowed by reproductive function; current language should center pleasure and agency equally across genders.
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