KPU researchers discover link between ADHD and women’s sexual health

A Kwantlen Polytechnic University researcher has uncovered a link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and reduced orgasmic consistency as a part of her psychology honours study. 

Tina Jensen-Fogt, who recently graduated with a bachelor of arts in psychology (honours) from KPU, noticed a gap between research on women with ADHD and their sexual experience, which inspired her to delve deeper into the area.

She conducted research for about half a year. The study included preparation, data collection, literature review, and reporting, all under the supervision of KPU psychology instructor Cory Pedersen, who Jensen-Fogt says has been nothing but supportive throughout her honours research.

“I really feel I chose the best supervisor I could have for myself and for my subject. She was excellent to work with. Dr. Pedersen does a great job of supporting her students,” Jensen-Fogt says.

“She definitely helped me to grow a lot as a student and as a researcher, not only in my honours program, but also even as my instructor for various courses of hers that I took over the years.” 

After collecting data from 815 sexually active cisgender women, Jensen-Fogt found a link between women with ADHD showing slightly lower rates of orgasmic consistency compared to women without ADHD. 

“We found that it was the inattentive subtype [of ADHD] that had the lowest orgasmic consistency, so based on these results, it is more likely that it’s the inattentive features that affect this specific domain of sexual functioning.”

Earlier this spring, these findings were published in The Journal of Sex Research, with the research article entitled “Exploring Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Symptomatology in Relation to Women’s Orgasmic Consistency.”

Women’s sexual health and well-being is an important and understudied area, Jensen-Fogt says, where students and professors have the chance to make meaningful contributions to the world of research.

“There’s a strong male-dominant bias in research and it is being corrected,” Jensen-Fogt says. “A lot of researchers are now focusing specifically on women, and really advocating for that push to explore women’s issues.”

She says it’s important to communicate these findings and for students’ work to be recognized, adding that research like this ensures improvements are being made to women’s sexual health and other important topics are not being overlooked. 

Jensen-Fogt hopes the research she conducted validates women who suffer from symptoms of ADHD, helping them to not feel bad about their sexual dysfunction. She would also like to see medical professionals consider sexual functioning as a part of their assessment for women with ADHD, so they can promote a better understanding in their field. 

Currently, Jensen-Fogt is part of Pederson’s lab, ORGASM (Observations and Research in Gender and Sexuality Matters), where she continues to develop her research skills. She is also working on a proposal to continue exploring women’s sexual functioning.

Looking ahead, she says she is taking a break before heading back to school to pursue a master’s degree.

“If [the study] can help women to better understand their experiences — and feel less shame or guilt — I really hope it has that effect for them.”