Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston discovered that almost five in ten women are faced with sexual problems. Should this be shocking? A little bit yes but most shocking is that only 12 percent of these women expressed concern over their sexual problems.

The findings are based on a survey of 32,000 women who were given questionnaire and the Female Sexual Distress Scale which allowed the researchers to measure the levels of sexual related personal distress on a scale that included words such as unhappiness, guilt, frustration and embarrassment to capture distress.

The study found that 43.1 percent of the women reported some kind of sexual problems: 39 percent of women ages 18 to 102 reported low levels of desire, 26 percent reported problems with arousal, and 21 percent problems with achieving orgasm. However, only 12 percent of women in the study, the largest one of its kind, said the sexual problems they experienced were really bothering them.

“Sexual problems are common in women, but problems associated with personal distress, those which are truly bothersome and affect a woman's quality of life, are much less frequent. For a sexual concern to be considered a medical problem, it must be associated with distress, so it's important to assess this in both research studies and patient care,” says Jan Shifren, MD, of the MGH Obstetrics and Gynecology Service, who led the study.

Sexual problems were more prevalent in older women aged 45 to 64 followed by those aged 18 to 44 and those older than 64. Also, depressed women were two times more likely to report distressing sexual problems compared with women who were not depressed. Other reasons could include medical problems, partner changes, problems with their partner’s health.

“We need to do more to identify these women and provide them with care,” Shifren concluded. Working with a therapist might be the answer to the sexual problems you’re having.