First and foremost is the repression of all sexual
manifestations which the unmarried woman has to practice, and has had
to practice for many centuries. So that a part of the frigidity is
hereditary. You cannot entirely eradicate a natural instinct, but that
by continually repressing it, by giving it no chance to assert itself,
you may weaken it--about this there can be no question.

The second cause is masturbation. Cases that have been addicted to
excessive masturbation are very apt to develop not only frigidity, but
complete aversion to the sexual act, and inability to experience any
pleasure or orgasm. Such cases we come across every day.

A third very important cause is sexual weakness in the husband. When
the husband is sexually weak (suffering with premature ejaculations)
he either fails to awaken the sexual instinct in the woman, or if it
has been awakened it is apt to turn not only into frigidity but into
aversion to the act.

The fourth cause is often merely dislike towards the husband. The last
two causes, weakness of the husband and dislike towards him, are
unfortunately very frequent, and a wife who was frigid with one
husband may show herself very passionate on marrying another man.

The fifth cause is fear of pregnancy.

The above are the five principal causes. Other causes may be disease
of the uterus, laceration of the cervix, inflammation of the ovaries,
vaginismus, disease of the thyroid gland, etc.

It is an unfortunate fact that women who were frigid up to the age of
forty or so may become very passionate after that age.

As to the treatment of frigidity, little or nothing can be done for
frigidity that is congenital. Most of the other kinds of frigidity,
however, can be cured.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

ADVICE TO FRIGID WOMEN, PARTICULARLY WIVES

Advice to Frigid Women--Attitude of Different Men Towards Frigid
Wives--Orgasm a Subjective Feeling--A Justifiable Innocent
Deception--The Case of a Demi-Mondaine.

I wish to give you a piece of advice which is of extremely great
importance to you. I hesitated somewhat before writing this chapter,
but the welfare of so many women depends upon following this advice,
and I have seen the lives of so many wives spoiled on account of not
having followed it, that I decided to devote a few words to the
subject.

As you know, about one-third or one-quarter of all women (in other
words, one out of every three or four) are sexually frigid. The