Is Female Sexual Function Related to the Male Partners' Erectile Function?

Abstract

There are limited data concerning the relationship between the sexual functioning of each partner in a heterosexual couple. This cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between female sexual function and the male partners' erectile function. Two self-administered questionnaires were used, one distributed to 2,159 female employees of two hospitals in Southern Taiwan and the other to their male partners, if available, to assess sexual function in each partner of the couple. Female sexual function and male erectile function were assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and by the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), respectively. Among the 1,580 female and 779 male respondents, 632 sexually active couples were eligible for the analysis with mean ages of 36.9 years (range 21-67) and 39.5 years (range 18-80) for the women and men, respectively. After adjustment for female age group, nearly all the FSFI and IIEF domain scores correlated significantly to a slight to moderate degree. On the basis of the FSFI and IIEF scores, 42.9% (255/594) of the women reported sexual difficulty, and 15.0% (96/632) of the men reported mild to moderate erectile dysfunction (ED). After adjustment for female age group, the female partners of men with ED had significantly lower total and domain scores of the FSFI than those of men without ED, with effect sizes of η(p)(2) = 0.02-0.08. After further adjustment for other risk factors, ED of the male partner was still a significant risk factor for female sexual difficulty as well as for sexual difficulty in the aspects of arousal, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, and sexual pain (odds ratio = 2.5-3.3). Significant correlations between female sexual functioning and male erectile function were identified.