Hypoactive Sexual Desire In Menopausal Women In Europe
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Alessandra Graziottin[1] & Patricia E. Koochaki[2]. [1]. Center of Gynecology and Medical Sexology, H San Raffaele Resnati, via Santa Croce 10/a, Milan, Italy. [2] P&GP, Mason, Ohio. |
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Abstract printed on page 45 of the Women's Health and Menopause abstracts book available also at www.lorenzinifoundation.org in the section dedicated to the congress. Objectives: To determine in four EU countries: 1. the proportion of menopausal women classified as having low or hypoactive sexual desire (HSD) 2. the proportion of these women with HSD who are distressed by their loss of desire and are classified as having hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) 3. sexual activity levels and behaviour as a function of level of sexual desire 4. the relationship of sexual desire and satisfaction with sex life or relationship with partner. Methods: The Women's International Sexuality and Health Survey (WISHES) was a mail survey conducted among 2467 pre-, peri, and postmenopausal women in France, Italy, Germany and the UK. The survey contained the Profile of Sexual Function (PFSF), a validated instrument designed to measure hypoactive sexual desire in women, and the Personal Distress Scale (PDS), a scale developed to measure distress due to lost desire. Respondents were also asked questions about how often they engaged in sexual activities, and how satisfied they were with their sex lives and / or their relationships with their partners. Cut-off scores were obtained for the desire domain of the PFSF and PDS from the results of validation studies with the instruments. These cut-off scores have now been applied to the WISHES data to determine the proportion of women with low desire in larger, national, populations. Results: Across the four countries, the percentage of the total population of menopausal women classified as having HSD ranged from 21 to 36% and about 20% of these women with HSD were classified as having hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), i.e., low sexual desire accompanied by distress due to lack of desire. Many menopausal women with low desire endorsed statements expressing negative psychological or emotional states related to their own sexual function, sexual identity and sexual relationships with their partners. Low sexual desire was associated with significantly less frequent sexual activities including low frequency of initiation of activity by the woman respondent, and low frequencies of orgasm and intercourse. Menopausal women with lower sexual desire were significantly less satisfied with their sex lives than women with higher sexual desire. Menopausal women with low satisfaction with their sex lives were significantly less satisfied with their relationships than those women with higher sexual desire. Conclusions HSDD is prevalent in menopausal women in Europe and is accompanied by personal distress. Women with low desire are more likely to experience low satisfaction with their sex lives and their partner relationships. |
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Menopausal Women and Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder