• Menopause · Nov 2009

    Sexual dysfunction in middle-aged women: a multicenter Latin American study using the Female Sexual Function Index.

    • Juan E Blümel, Peter Chedraui, German Baron, Emma Belzares, Ascanio Bencosme, Andres Calle, Maria T Espinoza, Daniel Flores, Humberto Izaguirre, Patricia Leon-Leon, Selva Lima, Edward Mezones-Holguin, Alvaro Monterrosa, Desire Mostajo, Daysi Navarro, Eliana Ojeda, William Onatra, Monique Royer, Edwin Soto, Soledad Vallejo, Konstantinos Tserotas, and Collaborative Group for Research of the Climacteric in Latin America (REDLINC).
    • Institute of Biomedicine, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, PO Box 09-01-4671, Guayaquil, Ecuador.
    • Menopause. 2009 Nov 1; 16 (6): 1139-48.

    ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) and associated risk factors among middle-aged Latin American women using one validated instrument.MethodsThe Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was applied to 7,243 healthy women aged 40 to 59 years who were users of 19 healthcare systems from 11 Latin American countries. An itemized questionnaire containing personal and partner sociodemographic data was also filled out.ResultsMean +/- SD age of surveyed women was 49.0 +/- 5.7 years, with 11.6 years of schooling on average. There were 55.1% of women who were married, 46.8% who were postmenopausal, 14.1% who used hormonal therapy (HT), and 25.6% who were sexually inactive. Among those who were active (n = 5,391), the mean +/- SD total FSFI score was 25.2 +/- 5.9 and 56.8% of them presented SD (FSFI total score 48 y), 1.84 (1.61-2.09); bladder problems, 1.47 (1.28-1.69); HT use, 1.39 (1.15-1.68); negative perception of female health status, 1.31 (1.05-1.64); and being married, 1.22 (1.07-1.40). Protective factors were higher educational level (women), partner faithfulness, and access to private healthcare.ConclusionsThe prevalence of SD in this middle-aged Latin American series was found to be high, varying widely in different populations. A decrease in vaginal lubrication was the most important associated risk factor. Differences in the prevalence of risk factors among the studied groups, several of which are modifiable, could explain the variation of SD prevalence observed in this study.

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