What to Know About the ICD-10 Code for Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

As a healthcare professional, your job is to help your clients manage and improve their health, but you need to understand their diagnosis before you can do that. The ICD-10 codes used throughout the healthcare system help professionals identify tens of thousands of unique conditions. Once you diagnose a client or receive their diagnosis from another professional, you can use these codes to look up a specific condition for symptoms, causes, risk factors, and potential treatment options. You can also use these codes to generate your own notes and share them with the client and other members of their care team. One such condition is hypoactive sexual desire disorder, and there are several closely related conditions with their own codes to know about as well.

F52.0: Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

The ICD-10 code for hypoactive sexual desire disorder is F52.0. You’ll need to note this on any clinical, session or discharge notes for your clients with this diagnosis so they can obtain proper treatment from other providers and receive applicable insurance coverage.

What Is Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder?

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder is also known as HSDD. This condition occurs when someone isn’t interested in sex, has a low sex drive, or doesn’t have any sex drive at all. In addition, the person is bothered by their lack of sexual interest or drive. HSDD is a common sexual issue compared to other similar ailments. The timing of this condition can be quite variable. Some clients might present this as a lifelong concern, but others might witness it developing over time. Some individuals suffer from this condition continuously, but others might only face it in particular circumstances.

Causes and Risk Factors

Clients with hypoactive sexual desire disorder can be of any gender. Psychological or emotional issues that may play a role include anxiety, depression, body image complications, exhaustion, previous sex trauma or abuse, stress, and relationship problems. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of low levels of sex hormones or menopause, but it might also result from a recent pregnancy, delivery of a baby, or breastfeeding. Additional medical causes include bladder problems, heart issues, diabetes, cancer, and multiple sclerosis, but it can also happen due to medications involved with battling depression, high blood pressure, and cancer. Estrogen-based hormones included with gender-affirming therapy might also be a culprit.

Symptoms

The symptoms of hypoactive sexual desire disorder are very closely related. Clients with this condition usually don’t think or fantasize about sex much, if they do it at all. They rarely respond to sexual suggestions and signals from their partners. If they do have sex, they might lose their desire for it during the act. In some cases, individuals with HSDD avoid all sex throughout their life.

Diagnosis

An official diagnosis of HSDD can be subjective, and there is not necessarily a set criterion you can use when working with clients. A thorough analysis of a client’s sexual history and the use of a proven questionnaire can establish a baseline for diagnosis. However, the level of personal distress crucial to diagnosis varies from one person to the next. This condition can be situational if it occurs in certain circumstances or general if it occurs most of the time. Acquired HSDD happens after declining sexual function, but lifelong cases might have no history of being interested in sexual activity. Since low libido is a symptom, a physical exam might be necessary. Some clients might hesitate to mention this condition because they are embarrassed or don’t know effective treatment is possible.

Treatment

Once diagnosed, your clients should know that treatment is possible for hypoactive sexual desire disorder. The specific treatment options available vary based on the identified cause behind the problem, and correct ICD-10 coding is necessary to ensure reimbursement is received from insurance providers for these treatments. Kegel exercises can increase sensation and blood flow to the genitals, and regular exercise for fitness help with general mood and metabolism. Clients might want to explore pornographic content that they find arousing, and they should have honest conversations with their partners about sexual likes and dislikes. Stress reduction and avoiding alcohol, drugs, and smoking might help. Medications sometimes prescribed for HSDD include bremelanotide, estrogen, flibanserin, and testosterone.

Similar Conditions

While hypoactive sexual desire disorder is relatively common, there are similar conditions that are closely related. Understanding these particular afflictions and their corresponding ICD-10 codes will guide you through the process of assigning proper treatment, billing, and documentation.

F52.1: Sexual Aversion Disorder

Your clients might start exhibiting signs of sexual aversion disorder in their early 20s because it usually shows up when people become sexually active. This condition is an ongoing and extreme aversion to genital sexual contact with their partners to the point of distress and interpersonal conflict. The aversion to potential genital contact can trigger disgust, fear, and anxiety about sex, and avoidant behaviors might seep into other aspects of a client’s life. As with other related disorders, sexual aversion disorder might be lifelong or acquired, and women often develop it after cases of incest, rape, molestation, or other sexual trauma. PTSD can be a trigger in either gender. Treatment possibilities include integrative, medical, and psychological approaches, and systematic desensitization can reduce anxiety over time.

F52.21: Male Erectile Disorder

Over the course of your career, you will likely encounter male clients who suffer from male erectile disorder. This condition is more commonly known as erectile dysfunction, ED, or impotence. It is an inability to get or maintain an erection that is firm enough for potential sexual activity. Occasional erection difficulties happen to many men, but ongoing cases can impact self-esteem, increase stress, and cause relationship issues. This condition might also be symptomatic of underlying health issues, such as heart disease, that need treatment.

F52.22: Female Sexual Arousal Disorder

Women in your client group might suffer from female sexual arousal disorder, also called sexual dysfunction in medical circles. These cases often involve persistent issues with sexual desire, response, pain, or orgasm that are bad enough to cause individuals and their relationships distress. This disorder can happen at any stage of adult life, and it might involve either specific sexual circumstances or all instances of sex. Since sexual response is a complicated web of relationships, lifestyle factors, physiology, feelings, beliefs, and personal experiences, it can be easy to disrupt. Treatment of female sexual arousal disorder often requires multiple approaches.

F52.31: Female Orgasmic Disorder

The ICD-10 code F52.31 represents female orgasmic disorder. This condition occurs when a woman’s orgasm or sexual climax is delayed, absent, infrequent, or lacking in intensity, even when there is plenty of mental, emotional, and sexual arousal. How much and what kind of stimulation a woman needs for orgasm varies with each individual. Many women attain orgasm with clitoral stimulation, but vaginal intercourse alone usually isn’t enough. Orgasmic disorder might mean a woman can’t have an orgasm in any situation, but it might be diagnosed as arousal disorder if a woman can’t get aroused enough. Orgasmic disorder is a more appropriate diagnosis when a lack of sexual climax distresses a woman.

F52.32: Male Orgasmic Disorder

You might use ICD-10 code F52.32 for male clients who have trouble achieving a sexual climax with a partner. Some individuals with male orgasmic disorder might be unable to reach sexual climax at all during intercourse, while others might only achieve orgasm through oral sex or masturbation. Potential causes of this condition include psychological issues, side effects from medications or surgery, or physiological complications that might trace all the way back to birth. 

F52.4: Premature Ejaculation

If you diagnose a client with premature ejaculation, it means that a male’s semen exits his body earlier than he wants it to when engaging in sexual activity. You will refer to ICD-10 code F52.4 for this condition, and there are several potential criteria for an official diagnosis. Clients who are frustrated or distressed with their performance to the point of avoiding sex because of this issue might qualify for a diagnosis. Those who can’t delay ejaculation or wind up constantly ejaculating during the first few moments of penetration might qualify, too. Premature ejaculation can be categorized as an acquired or lifelong condition, but in any case, effective treatment techniques exist to delay ejaculation. For example, counseling and medications are available to help your clients enjoy a better sex life.

Other Related Conditions

Several other conditions are closely related to the ones already listed, and you need to understand their ICD-10 codes in case any of your clients manifest these afflictions and require treatment. Proper diagnosis helps guide their treatment, but you also need to list the correct ICD-10 codes so their health insurance will cover appropriate treatments, sessions, and medications. Here are a few examples:

  • F52.5: Vaginismus not due to a substance or known physiological condition
  • F52.6 – Dyspareunia not due to a substance or known physiological condition
  • F52.8: Other sexual dysfunction not due to a substance or known physiological condition
  • F52.9 – Unspecified sexual dysfunction not due to a substance or known physiological condition

AutoNotes Streamlines Healthcare

Healthcare professionals have to deal with documentation on a daily basis, and that responsibility takes up a lot of time you could be spending with your clients. Simplify your recordkeeping process with AutoNotes. This AI-assisted tool streamlines clinical documentation so you can create progress notes faster and easier than ever. Let us help you improve your private practice or your role within a broader organization. Your clients will enjoy accurate records they can use, and you can communicate effortlessly with other care providers involved in the treatment process. 

Harness the power of AI technology to improve your medical recordkeeping, and see the difference in your client care!