Abstract
BackgroundInfertility, an important source of stress, could affect sexual life. Extensive studies suggest that the incidence of sexual dysfunction is highly prevalent in infertile women. As the duration of infertility increases, the level of stress is also likely to increase even further, and this could aggravate psychological pain and cause sexual dysfunction. However, the effect of infertility duration on sexual health is unclear.MethodsWe conducted a case-control study in which 715 patients participated between September 1,2020 and December 25, 2020. We included patients diagnosed with infertility (aged between 20 to 45), who were divided into four groups according to their infertility durations: ≤ 2 years (Group I, n = 262), > 2 years but ≤ 5 years (Group II, n = 282), > 5 years but ≤ 8 years (Group III, n = 97), and > 8 years (Group IV, n = 74). A questionnaire survey on female sexual functions and psychological depression was administered to participants, and their female sexual functions and depression status were measured using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), respectively.ResultsAs the number of years of infertility increased, the PHQ-9 score as well as the incidence of psychological depression increased significantly (p < 0.05), but the total score of FSFI and those of its six domains/sub-scales were not significantly different among the four groups. An analysis of the relevant factors affecting sexual functions, using the multivariable logistic regression model, revealed that when the infertility duration was greater than 8 years, there was a significant increase in the incidence of sexual dysfunction [adjusted odds ratios (AOR) = 5.158, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.935–13.746, P = 0.001], arousal disorder (AOR = 2.955, 95% CI: 1.194–7.314, P = 0.019), coital pain (AOR = 3.811, 95% CI: 1.045–13.897, P = 0.043), and lubrication disorder (AOR = 5.077, 95% CI: 1.340–19.244, P = 0.017).ConclusionsAn increasing infertility duration is a risk factor for the occurrence of sexual dysfunction. Hence, as the infertility duration increases, the incidence of female sexual dysfunction and psychological distress could also increase, especially when the infertility duration is more than 8 years.
Highlights
Sexual dysfunction is a global health problem, affecting approximately 41% of premenopausal women [1]
Participants’ demographic characteristics A total of 791 patients participated in this study, and 76 patients were excluded from the study (52 patients failed to complete all the questions, 23 provided inconsistent answers, and 1 had a total Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) score below 8)
A higher likelihood of sexual dysfunction was observed in patients with increasing infertility duration, increasing age, lower frequency of sexual life, and high levels of psychological distress (Table 4). In this large-scale case-control study, we have reported the impact of infertility duration on the Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) of patients with infertility and analyzed the risk factors that affect their sexual health
Summary
Sexual dysfunction is a global health problem, affecting approximately 41% of premenopausal women [1]. Studies reveal that the incidence of sexual dysfunction is greater in infertile women than in those with normal fertility [14,15,16,17]. Issues such as negative effects of infertility treatment and pressure from family members cause tremendous stress on infertile patients, leading to both psychological and physical pain [12]. As the duration of infertility increases, the level of stress is likely to increase even further, and this could aggravate psychological pain and cause sexual dysfunction. The effect of infertility duration on sexual health is unclear
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