EPA-0312 – Prevalence and determinants of low sexual function among middle aged Egyptian women

Abstract

IntroductionFemale sexual dysfunction is a common problem with detrimental effects on woman's quality of life. It also has an economical and societal impact. It is defined as disorders of sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, and sexual pain which lead to personal distress. AimThe study was planned to determine the prevalence and determinants of female sexual dysfunction in women attending family health centers clinics in Alexandria. MethodsTotally, 369 women aged 18–59 years were interviewed while they were attending Family Health Centers FHCs in Alexandria. Data were collected by personal interview in a questionnaire format in addition to physical examination (when allowed). Main Outcome MeasuresArabic version of Female Sexual Function Index (ArFSFI) was used to evaluate sexual function. ResultsThe mean age of women was 29.62±6.14 years. 73.4% of women had one or more sexual problems; however, 22.1% of the women with sexual problems were not distressed by these issues. We found that 66.4% of women had desire disorder, 52.6% of women had arousal disorder, 49.3% of women had lubrication disorder, 45% of women had orgasm disorder, 34.4% had dissatisfaction and 42% of women had pain disorder. The mean FSFI score was found to be 24.73±4.75 out of a maximum total score of 36. The main domain scores were: desire 3.64±0.75, arousal 3.92±0.91, lubrication 4.35±0.99, orgasm 4.17±1.19, satisfaction 4.51±1.26 and pain 4.15±1.21 out of a maximum domain score of six. ConclusionsFSD is a highly prevalent problem within the scope of this study. Age of marriage, duration of marriage, high parity, female genital mutilation (FGM) and presence of partner sexual dysfunction were found to be significantly associated with low sexual function in Egyptian women.