Common Sex Related Fears And How To Deal With Them

Sex should be a pleasurable activity. But sometimes it can be a source of deep anxiety among women. Hemchhaya De lists the most common fears and how to deal with them

- Hemchhaya De

If you are a fan of the British Emmy Award-winning TV show, Fleabag, you would surely love the way the chief protagonist, played by actor Phoebe Waller Bridge, enjoys her sexuality. While such shows highlight the importance of women’s wants and desires between the sheets, the reality is that some women experience crippling fears that stop them from engaging in sexual activities altogether. Take, for example, a condition called genophobia or coitophobia. “This is the fear of sexual intercourse, and in some cases people experiencing this condition may be afraid of all kinds of sexual acts. Genophobia is most likely to develop after traumatic sexual experiences,” says Dr Anuneet Sabharwal, a Mumbai-based psychiatrist. Here’s a snapshot of the most common fears, according to experts.

‘What if I fail to orgasm?’

Several studies conducted globally have shown that the ‘orgasm gap’ isn’t a myth—there can be a lot of factors inhibiting orgasms for women. An orgasm gap is simply a disparity between men and women when it comes to achieving orgasms. A 2013 study, titled, ‘The Faking Orgasm Scale for Women: Psychometric Properties’, published in