February 2004
On the eve of the international launch of her new book, author and sexologist, Dr Vivienne Cass has stated that despite recent claims to the contrary, female sexual difficulties are not going to be solved by using Viagra.
“Women’s sexuality and sexual difficulties are complex and many doctors want to treat female sexual dysfunction as they would male sexual dysfunction, which is ridiculous. Viagra will rarely be the answer for a woman,” says Dr Cass, “despite the push by some in the medical profession to find a pill that will work for women.”
“Women’s sexuality is a complex thing. How a woman feels about sex is closely tied to how she feels about herself, her job, her relationship and her family. As one woman said to me, If my hubby’s helped around the house, the kids haven’t grizzled all day, the phone bill’s been paid and I haven’t had to work overtime, I’ll probably feel like sex that night – otherwise, forget it!” Dr Cass laughed.
“Which is why simply treating the problem with hormones or drugs doesn’t work.
“You can’t medicalise women’s sexuality, that is, treat it as if it’s entirely a medical condition.
“There is no pill or potion that will fix a poor lover, overcome boredom in a relationship or make someone regain attraction to their partner,” Dr Cass said.
The topic that has embarrassed women and confounded many men for years – the female orgasm – has become the subject of a new book by Dr Cass, who is a clinical psychologist.
To be launched internationally in Australia on March 4, The Elusive Orgasm: A woman’s guide to why she can’t and how she can orgasm is the result of many years research and clinical experience, and aims to help women and men increase female sexual satisfaction, while assisting those women for whom an orgasm is nothing but myth or sheer hard work.
With the latest colourful scientific drawings and colloquial text designed to put readers at ease, The Elusive Orgasm is suitable for women of all ages, cultures and ethnicities, and can be used by women with disabilities as well as women in same-sex relationships.
It identifies 25 causes of women’s inability to achieve orgasm, touching on causes relating to personal style, relationships, health, sexual style and lifestyle.
Dr Cass said she wrote The Elusive Orgasm because she identified a gap in the sexual ‘self-help’ books market.
“Surprisingly, there are very few self-help books that aim to help women with orgasm difficulties. Those that exist are outdated and not suited to women of all ages and education levels, nor do they account for different sexual orientation, ethnicities or disabilities,” Dr Cass said.
“Many books have also demonstrated a serious lack of knowledge about the clitoris and they fail to address the many and various reasons women have for not achieving orgasm, such as early sexual abuse or difficulty in showing sexual passion.”
“The Elusive Orgasm has been written to help women achieve greater sexual satisfaction by improving their sexual knowledge along with self esteem and confidence in their sexuality.
“I have also stressed that women need to feel comfortable about the fact that they may NOT want to experience orgasm, which is perfectly ok,” she said.
Dr Vivienne Cass is an author, radio personality and clinical psychologist with over 30 years experience in sexology. She has a Doctorate and Masters in Psychology and is a member of the Australian Psychological Society and the Australian Society of Sex Educators, Researchers and Therapists. Dr Cass is also a member of the International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (USA) and the New York Academy of Science.
The Elusive Orgasm will be distributed by Tower and released in March 2004 nationally. Recommended retail price – $35.00.
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