059 What are the Associations of Body Mass Index, Sexual Dysfunction and Mood in Midlife Women?

Abstract

Menopause-related symptoms affect millions of women worldwide and may impair quality of life. Weight gain is a common complaint among midlife women and is associated with metabolic syndrome, increased cardiovascular risk, and breast and uterine cancers. Psychologycal symptoms, primarily anxiety and depression, are also common among midlife women, particularly during the menopause transition. Nearly half of midlife women report sexual health concerns, and approximately 10% report distress associated with sexual concerns. Further, sexual function may be adversely affected by obesity and mood symptoms. Understanding the relationships among body mass index (BMI), sexual dysfunction, and mood will help improve the care of midlife women. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations among BMI, sexual dysfunction, and mood in midlife women. A cross-sectional study was performed by analyzing medical records from sexually active women presenting for consultation to a women’s health clinic between May, 2015 and July, 2018. A total of 3,324 women were included in the analysis. Demographic information (age, marital status, education, employment, race, parity), BMI, menopausal status and menopause treatments were obtained from the medical record. Questionnaires were used to analyze specific symptoms related to menopause (MRS), anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9) and sexual function (FSFI and FSDS-R). Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) was defined by a combined endpoint of FSFI ≤ 26.55 and FSDS-R ≥ 11. Data were analyzed using mean (standard deviation, SD) or median (interquartile range, IQR) for continuous variables and frequency of percentages for categorical variables. ANOVA was used to compare continuous variables between groups, and either a chi-square or Fisher’s exact test were used to compare categorical variables. All analyses were conducted using SAS version 9.4, and p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.