Do Iranian Women with Endometriosis Suffer from Sexual Dysfunction?

In: Sexuality and Disability · 2014 · vol. 32(2) , pp. 189–195 · doi:10.1007/s11195-014-9350-z · W1984661153
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Iranian women with endometriosis showed significantly worse sexual function scores on arousal, orgasm, and pain domains compared to healthy controls.

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This case-control study evaluated sexual function in 46 married Iranian women with confirmed endometriosis compared with 80 healthy controls using the Persian version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), with pain during sex characterized using a visual analogue scale. The most common symptoms included dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia, and the total FSFI score differed significantly between patients and controls, with patient-control differences also reported for three FSFI subscales (arousal, orgasm, and pain). Using an FSFI cutoff of 26.55, education level and body mass index (BMI) differed between patients with and without sexual dysfunction, and BMI independently predicted total FSFI score in both groups. The paper explicitly frames these results as showing widespread FSFI domain impairment, but it is limited by the cross-sectional comparison design and the reliance on questionnaire-based assessment. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it assesses sexual dysfunction across FSFI domains in Iranian women with endometriosis and compares them with healthy controls.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a gynecological disorder. One of the most disabling clinical problems of affected women is pain syndrome which presenting with dysmenorrhea and dyspareunia. Sexual dysfunction is one of the health problems is these women which is not regarded as it should be. The goal of this study was to evaluate sexual function in Iranian women with endometriosis in comparison with healthy controls. Forty-six married women with confirmed endometriosis and 80 healthy subjects enrolled. Participants were asked to answer the valid and reliable Persian version of Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. The most common clinical symptom were dysmenorrheal and dyspareunia. The mean Visual Analogue Scale for pain during sex was 37.4 ± 35.7 and mean sexual activity satisfaction was 64.4 ± 33.6 %. Total FSFI score and scores of three out of six subscales (arousal, orgasm and pain) were significantly different between patients and controls. By considering 26.55 as cut off point, we found that education level and body mass index (BMI) were significantly different in patients with and without sexual dysfunction. BMI was the independent predictor for total FSFI score in both case and control groups. Iranian women with endometriosis exhibited significant dysfunction in most domains of FSFI questionnaire. So, sexual dysfunction should be considered in Iranian women with endometriosis. Similar content being viewed by others

References

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