Sexual Health
Are Women Who Drink Strong in Sexual Function? Be Careful of the Five Harms of Alcohol to Women
What are the effects of alcohol on female sexual function? Nowadays, there are more and more women who love drinking, and there are many women who can drink well. However, many women overlook the impact of alcohol on female sexual function. What are the effects of alcohol on female sexual function?
The impact of alcohol on sexual function is complex. When conducting a survey on men and women who drink alcohol, some people said that drinking alcohol can increase sexual pleasure, while half of men and 25% of women reported having sexual dysfunction, with conflicting conclusions. Some scholars have conducted experimental studies to explore the sexual effects of alcohol consumption. They gave different amounts of alcohol to male and female college students, and then watched sex videos to measure the degree of male penis enlargement and female vaginal pulsation. The conclusion was that when the alcohol concentration was lower than the level of alcohol intoxication, it could inhibit penile erection, while women completely suppressed vaginal pulsation. Other studies have also demonstrated that alcohol can inhibit sexual arousal, explaining that alcohol has an inhibitory effect on the central nervous system and can interfere with the reflex transmission pathway triggered by sexual arousal.
During acute drinking, it may have a disinhibitory effect, reducing the sexual inhibition that individuals typically have, overcoming their anxiety or guilt about sexual behavior, which can increase or promote sexual excitement. Some women believe that their taste is not strong enough, and drinking alcohol makes them feel more like women. Drinking alcohol can temporarily help women escape sexual role issues and internal conflicts. Therefore, in a questionnaire survey, 68% of female respondents reported that alcohol can enhance sexual desire, while only 21% reported negative effects; Among male respondents, 42% reported either an enhancing or weakening effect, while the rest believed it had no effect. When examining alcoholic women with sexual dysfunction, it is difficult to determine whether the dysfunction is the cause or consequence of alcoholism? Is it alcohol abuse that causes sexual dysfunction, or is alcohol abuse used as a way or attempt to "treat" or "manage" existing sexual dysfunction? Or is it to escape marital conflicts caused by sexual dysfunction? Alcohol abuse has no less impact on female sexual function than it does on men.
What are the effects of alcohol on female sexual function
The common sexual dysfunction in alcoholic women includes libido suppression, orgasmic disorders, pain during sexual intercourse, and vaginal spasms. Other problems include mental disorders, weakened sexual characteristics, ovarian atrophy, infertility, etc., which are more common in women who have been drinking excessively for a long time. The mechanisms by which alcohol abuse affects sexual function include:
(1) Inhibit physiological arousal, and as the alcohol concentration increases, the physiological response to sexual arousal continuously weakens.
(2) Due to excessive drinking, it causes vitamin deficiency and liver damage, as well as abnormal sexual hormone metabolism, resulting in sparse menstruation and poor vaginal lubrication.
(3) Neuropathological changes caused by alcohol interfere with the somatosensory neural pathway of arousal.
(4) Due to malnutrition caused by alcoholism or its neuropharmacological effects, organic brain damage can occur, leading to a decrease in interpersonal and sexual interests.
(5) Diseases secondary to sexual dysfunction caused by alcoholism, such as diabetes, hypertension, urinary tract infection, etc.
In addition, excessive drinking often leads to poor social adaptation of individuals, making it difficult for them to maintain a job, and may even lead to theft, prostitution, or other criminal acts as a result. Personality manifestations of addictive tendencies such as dependence, depression, and a lack of self-esteem. They find it difficult to form trust in others, and due to poor communication, they often appear fragile in terms of sexuality. It is important to point out that these issues are related to their sexual relationships in order for these people to ideally break away from their dependence on alcohol and other hobbies. If this is not achieved, their addiction problem will be difficult to solve, as they will also seek to improve their very poor interpersonal relationships through the stimulation of addictive substances such as alcohol. So for women addicted to alcohol, low libido and other sexual dysfunction may be both a cause and a result. When collecting medical history, do not forget to ask about the relevant history.
Are there still few lessons for some young women who lose their ability to control their behavior or completely disarm themselves after drinking alcohol, intentionally or unintentionally indulging themselves or being deceived?
Therefore, excessive drinking not only has adverse biological effects, but also social and interpersonal effects, which must be vigilant.
Drinking alcohol during menstruation is more dangerous
Similarly, when it comes to drinking alcohol, women are half as likely to suffer from liver damage and alcoholism as men, which means they are more susceptible to alcohol poisoning.
Basically, women have fewer enzymes involved in alcohol metabolism, so their ability to decompose acetaldehyde is weaker. Estrogen has a certain inhibitory effect on ethanol dehydrogenase. When the level of estrogen increases, the activity of ethanol dehydrogenase decreases, and the ability to decompose alcohol weakens, thereby maintaining a high concentration of alcohol in the body. Before menstruation, due to the influence of female hormone secretion, the secretion of alcohol degrading enzymes will decrease, resulting in a decrease in the rate of alcohol breakdown. As a result, alcohol cannot be excreted and becomes acidic. To neutralize these substances, the liver needs to continuously produce enzymes, and ultimately, the possibility of causing liver dysfunction increases.
Before the onset of menstruation, the activity of enzymes is low, and the ability to metabolize alcohol decreases If metabolism slows down, the time spent in a drunken state becomes longer and the feeling of drunkenness becomes more severe. Therefore, drinking alcohol before menstruation is prone to addiction and can become a trigger for alcoholism in many cases. So, caring for oneself should be implemented at the most fundamental level, and women should also consider their menstrual cycle when drinking alcohol.
So can I drink alcohol during menstruation? Will it affect the secretion of menstrual blood? The doctor told us, "The secretion of menstrual blood is only 50-120g at most, and alcohol should not have any impact on it." In addition, there are many women who particularly want to drink wine or warm wine during menstruation, which is also because their body temperature drops by 0.3 to 0.4 degrees during menstruation, subconsciously wanting to keep their body warm. So during this period, drinking 1-2 glasses of wine is the appropriate amount, not more.
As a woman, no matter how much you enjoy drinking during your menstrual period, you should still protect yourself effectively. In addition, during menstruation, due to continuous bleeding, physical weakness, and poor resistance, drinking alcohol can accelerate blood circulation, which may lead to an increase in menstrual flow, such as drinking cold beer, and may also cause dysmenorrhea. Therefore, when menstruation is approaching or during menstruation, Baijiu should be banned in principle. Of course, you can drink a small amount of wine (around 50ml is recommended), but it should not be excessive.
What are the precautions for women drinking alcohol
Many people need to regularly attend banquets, during which they often drink heavily to boost their spirits. However, relevant studies have shown that drinking a lot or often and consuming too much alcohol will cause inflammation and swelling of the liver, and even affect the reproductive and urinary system.
Since excessive drinking has more negative effects and wine has to be drunk, first learn how to drink -- the first choice of red wine wine is Baijiu, beer, and fruit wine. From a health perspective, when red wine, one of the fruit wines, is preferred -- the French benefit from drinking red wine often because they have less heart disease. The research results show that drinking red wine regularly reduces the risk of heart disease by half.
Don't get drunk before noon
It is best to drink after 2 pm, as drinking is relatively safe. Because the concentration of alcohol dehydrogenase, the enzyme that breaks down alcohol in the stomach, is low in the morning, drinking the same amount of alcohol is easier to absorb than in the afternoon, causing an increase in alcohol concentration in the blood and causing significant damage to organs such as the liver and brain.
In addition, alcohol should not be drunk on an empty stomach, before going to bed, when catching a cold or feeling excited, especially Baijiu, to avoid cardiovascular damage.
Do not exceed the limit of intake
A person weighing 60 kilograms should be allowed to consume less than 60 grams of alcohol per day. Those weighing less than 60 kilograms should be reduced accordingly, preferably around 45 grams. When converted into various finished liquors, it should be: 50g of 60 degree Baijiu, 1kg of beer and 250ml of whisky. Although red wine is beneficial for health, it should not be consumed in excess, preferably 2-3 cups per day.
Don't drink salted fish sausages
From the perspective of alcohol metabolism, it is recommended to use high protein and vitamin rich foods as table toppings, such as fresh vegetables, fresh fish, lean meat, beans, eggs, etc. Be careful not to use salted fish, sausages, or bacon for alcohol, as these smoked and cured foods contain a large amount of pigments and nitrosamines, which react with alcohol and not only harm the liver, but also damage the oral and esophageal mucosa, and even trigger cancer.