ABSTRACT
This chapter helps readers to gain a critical understanding of the main theories of female sexuality. The relevance of the concepts of these theories to medicine, midwifery and nursing practice will be explored. The key themes that are considered are: scientific research on sexuality, ideological biases in the research, sexual health, the female body, Freudian theories, current images of female sexuality, heterosexuality and safer sex, pregnancy and sexuality, and cultural differences. Women are no longer 'routinely' given hysterectomies, and the National Health Service may provide gender reassignment for transsexuals. The search for intimacy and the sense of being part of a loving relationship overrides sexual health issues. Female sexuality has always posed more problems because it is harder to reduce it to the specific functioning of one body part. Moreover, scientific research defines female sexuality in terms of male sexuality. Pregnancy poses particular challenges related to the different constructions of masculinity, femininity and sexuality.
