Abstract
Sexual response is a somatic event mediated by the spinal cord and brain structures, modulated by the hormonal milieu and mental state of a person. Studies of sexual arousal have repeatedly demonstrated sex differences in genital response and subjective rating of arousal in subjects who wer exposed to erotic video stimuli showing couples of different sexual orientations.
Men exhibit higher responses to stimuli of preferred sex (i.e., responses are category specific), while genital response in women is category non-specific. The aim of this review is to describe the concept of (non)specificity of sexual response in men and women.
Category-specific sexual response describes a pattern wherein individuals show preferential genital response to a specific category of stimuli and this pattern is typical by congruence between genital arousal and subjective ratings. Studies of sexual arousal have repeatedly shown that female genital arousal is category non-specific while the subjective arousal is category specific.
Also, these results suggest that it is necessary to carefully choose not only the type of stimuli (videos, photographs) but also an appropriate method of measurement. Hypothesis that might explain the lack of congruence between genital arousal and subjective ratings in women will be discussed.
To conclude, clinical application tackling difficulties related to measurement of sexual orientation and sexual preference in women will be suggested.