(121) Female Sexual Dysfunction: Can it be Addressed During Infertility Treatment?

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is a highly prevalent and distressing condition in the general population. Women undergoing fertility treatments are at higher risk of developing sexual dysfunction due to associated stress, sense of sexual activity as being routine, and demanding treatment regimens. Despite the known association between FSD and infertility, the optimal FSD treatment regimen for the infertility patient has not been described. Objective Our objective was to determine the optimal FSD treatment strategy for women with infertility. Methods We conducted a systematic review on the current approaches to treat FSD while undergoing fertility treatments. PubMed, PMC and Google Scholar were queried, and results were screened using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Inclusion criteria for this review were: 1) Subjects were women presenting for infertility treatment, 2) Sexual health was described and measured, 3) Interventions were performed or recommended to the subjects with measured outcomes and 4) The manuscript was written in English between January 2000 to June 2022. Case reports and studies that did not address conditions of interest were excluded from analysis. Results Queries identified 2,341 studies of which title and summary were screened. 15 articles were identified for full text review, and only 1 article met inclusion criteria. The single article identified was a prospective cohort study including 35 women with infertility in each arm. The intervention arm underwent 2 sessions of sexual counseling following the BETTER method, and at a 3 month follow up period FSFI scores were significantly improved in the intervention arm compared to the control arm. Conclusions Given the significant risk for FSD in this population, the fact that only one study could be identified on this topic is a huge gap in the medical knowledge that requires more investigation. The single study identified suggests counseling may be a successful treatment option for women with FSD and infertility, but more studies are needed to determine what other options are available and effective for FSD in this population. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Ferrring pharmaceuticals