SAY ni DOK | Alamin kung ano nga ba ang sexual anxiety?
SAY ni DOK | Alamin kung ano nga ba ang sexual anxiety?
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00:00 We will discuss an important fact that is not easily discussed when it comes to sexual health. Let's watch this.
00:10 The topic of sexual health is a topic that is constantly being discussed by many Filipinos.
00:15 One of the issues that is often ignored is sexual anxiety.
00:21 Have you experienced a condition where you have a lot of worries, fear, or anxiety related to sexual activity?
00:29 If you experience this, it can be a sign of sexual performance anxiety.
00:37 This morning, let's find out what is sexual anxiety, its importance, and how to understand yourself and your partner during these times.
00:46 We will wake up early in the morning with this topic.
01:03 Let's go to our RSP to give us a deeper insight on sexual anxiety and how we can understand it.
01:12 We have Dr. Joseph Lee, a urologist, with us live this morning. Good morning, Dr. Joseph.
01:18 Good morning, Audrey and Diane. I'm really live now.
01:23 It's nice to have you back here live in the RSP studio.
01:28 There are many types of anxiety, but we don't hear and discuss much about sexual anxiety.
01:34 What is sexual anxiety, Dr. Joseph?
01:38 When you talk about sexual anxiety, it's also termed as sexual performance anxiety.
01:45 It's fear-based. It's a mental or innate fear that you might not perform well in a sexual performance.
01:58 We call it intimacy.
02:02 It's when you have a feeling that you might have a problem physically or you might have post-traumatic experience before.
02:13 When you have a new relationship, you feel like it's going to cascade again.
02:20 But naturally, it might not be a problem.
02:23 It could be either mentally or hormonal in the process.
02:29 So, it could be mentally. It's when you think.
02:32 During intercourse, men are more nervous and overthink.
02:39 So, there's no physical problem.
02:42 But when you think negatively, you don't want to embarrass yourself, this is what happens.
02:49 Actually, when we were talking a while ago, Audrey, because hormones take precedence with regards to anxiety.
02:57 You're anxious. You have the feeling of sudden increase in heart pressure.
03:03 Sometimes, you sweat. Sometimes, you get jitteriness.
03:08 So, your cortisol starts to increase.
03:11 When your cortisol starts to increase, the hormone of the man, testosterone, will be counteracted.
03:18 So, it will go down. When the hormone of testosterone goes down, your libido will go down.
03:23 That is the problem with it.
03:26 You're anxious. Your cortisol level will increase.
03:28 You'll feel like you're happy or nervous.
03:35 But you don't know that the hormone cortisol takes an effect on the male hormone now.
03:40 So, it will go down and deplete.
03:43 So, your libido will go down.
03:47 I have an additional question.
03:50 Is age a factor?
03:54 Because I know that when you're young, you're excited, you're happy, or you're hyped about the intercourse.
04:04 But when you're older, does it happen more?
04:07 Age is a factor in it because, of course, the hormones will come into play.
04:14 And of course, the physical attribute of an individual, either you're talking about the male or the female individual,
04:23 since the mental problems will come into play,
04:28 you might have premature ejaculation, erectile dysfunction,
04:33 then in females, you might have dryness, painful sexual intercourse, all those stuff.
04:42 So, that may come into the process of your sexual performance.
04:50 Once it becomes unsuccessful, then you become anxious and anxiety will come in.
04:58 Because the next sexual performance might not be as good or might even be as worse as the one that you did.
05:06 So, this sexual anxiety can both happen in females and males.
05:11 Yes.
05:13 What is the common sign of this?
05:16 Post-traumatic experiences, right?
05:20 And then, when you look at yourself, individually, physically,
05:25 like Audrey said, age, then I'm like, I don't have any zest, I don't have any strength,
05:35 my lifestyle has been going down, right?
05:38 It's also in you.
05:41 And of course, the medical problems, like we said, you might be diabetic or obese,
05:47 then you have the medical problems, especially for men, erectile dysfunction.
05:53 And for females, the premenstrual problems.
06:00 You said earlier, for men, erectile dysfunction,
06:04 for females, premenstrual.
06:07 So, they don't have mood swings?
06:10 Yes. Actually, it also depends on how it comes, right?
06:13 How you handle the mood.
06:15 Sometimes, when the level of your hormones fluctuates,
06:18 they are very erratic, and your mood changes and shifts very fast, right?
06:24 If you really feel like, for females, you might say, "Why is she so moody?"
06:30 And then, it's aggravating, Audrey, you're also doing it, you know that,
06:36 your mood starts to fluctuate, and you won't have a very good communication and conversation,
06:42 especially if you are during the time that there's a performance, in and out of the bed,
06:50 or even before the performance itself.
06:53 Because sometimes, you prepare too much, and you feel like it's a protocol,
06:58 it's an algorithm, but it's not, right?
07:00 It's funny, right? When you feel, Audrey, like, "Oh, this is how it is, step one,
07:05 you do this, you do that, you do this."
07:06 It's like it's more stressful.
07:08 Yes, it's stressful. Especially when you say, "Oh, I think I forgot something.
07:12 Wait, wait, wait, I'll go back and fix this." It's more stressful.
07:16 There you go, overthinking, you're thinking too much about your performance,
07:22 you're getting nervous.
07:24 So, how is it possible to affect the sexual life of an individual or a couple
07:34 when they have sexual anxiety?
07:37 Of course, first of all, you have those, they say, "enable, inability," right?
07:48 You feel like your partner is not wanting, your self-worth is nothing, right?
07:55 You don't have any use for him, you feel like that.
07:59 Or probably, he's avoiding you, you don't know, but he's not telling you.
08:04 That's why communication is important.
08:06 Because communication bears a very strong impact on the sexual anxiety,
08:12 because you have to know.
08:14 Because you're going to tell your partner, "You know, I'm feeling like this, because I'm scared."
08:19 Of course, your partner will say, "Why are you afraid? Why are you feeling?"
08:22 Because of this aspect.
08:25 So, these conversations or communications are very good in order to overcome your anxiety in itself.
08:32 Okay, so you communicate with your partner.
08:34 Yes, you communicate.
08:36 Aside from that, what other tips can you give to overcome sexual anxiety?
08:40 One is meditation, mindful meditation.
08:45 You can go for yoga and reassess yourself.
08:51 Psychotherapy, exposure therapy, or cognitive...
08:55 When you say exposure, you can be with friends or a group of people that might have the same...
09:02 But of course, not everyone says that, right?
09:05 So, you can go to a psychotherapist and do some cognitive exercise and exposure therapy.
09:12 When you say exposure, he will tell you the different risk factors.
09:19 You can't tell him, "Oh, this is what I experienced."
09:22 Then you have to accept and you have to be positive.
09:25 So, the negative has to be turned into positive.
09:27 Then, communication is very important.
09:30 If there are medical problems that are entailing, like what I said about men,
09:35 premature rectal dysfunction, metabolic disorder, diabetes, these are all treatable conditions.
09:44 So, you have to accept and you have to be treated on that.
09:48 Don't make it last long to become chronic.
09:50 Once it becomes chronic, the more your anxiety becomes very, very eminent later on.
09:56 Then, of course, what I'm saying is communication.
10:01 Have a very good linkage communication at both ways and partners in order to know the problems within the bedroom.
10:14 When can you say that a person or a couple needs professional help regarding this?
10:19 Maybe, Dian, like what we talked about with Aude, if you find there's something like a little weirdness in happening,
10:28 maybe it's your performance levels.
10:31 Because sometimes you do a self-grading.
10:36 You grade yourself.
10:38 "I feel like I was 10 years old before."
10:42 "I'm doing 7 or 8."
10:44 But sometimes, your partner is okay with that.
10:47 But for you, it's not.
10:49 So, that's why some patients would come to us, "Doc, I don't feel okay."
10:54 But they don't have really problems with erection.
10:57 But they want to perform more.
10:59 But you have to know, like what you said, that age would come into play during that time.
11:06 So, in your younger years, you're better in performing than when you're aging already.
11:13 Okay, Doc Joseph.
11:15 Lastly, how can a person support their partner if they have sexual anxiety?
11:23 The communication and the openness and the interaction can improve or eradicate the anxiety.
11:35 Especially for intimacy and sexual performance.
11:39 We always say that it's important.
11:42 We have to be open about it.
11:44 Even if you're the most conservative individual, you have to be open.
11:47 So that the sexual anxiety won't come out.
11:51 And trial beyond notice.
11:55 You know that, Audrey?
11:58 You go to trial, and you'll have a problem.
12:02 Then you'll go to the doctor and say, "Doc, I tried this just to prove to my wife that I'm okay."
12:12 Then you get a disease.
12:15 You experiment.
12:17 You experiment, then it went into trouble.
12:19 There.
12:21 And then, it'll come to Doc Joseph.
12:24 So, the advice is, don't experiment with others.
12:28 Ask the professionals.
12:30 And as Doc said earlier, communicate with your partner if you're experiencing this.
12:36 There are many who are not aware of this condition.
12:39 And maybe there are others who are avoiding talking about it.
12:43 But it will help us more if we open up about it.
12:48 That's why it's important to consult and ask for opinions from experts like Doc Joseph Lee
12:54 so that we can better understand ourselves and our feelings.
12:58 Thank you very much for sharing your information with us this morning about sexual anxiety.
13:04 Thank you, Doc. Thank you very much.