J Fam Pract. 2000 Mar;49(3):229-32.
The high prevalence of sexual concerns among
women seeking routine gynecological care.
Nusbaum MR, Gamble G, Skinner B, Heiman J.
Department of Family Medicine, University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 27599-7595,
USA. mnusbaum@med.unc.edu
Background:
Sexuality is an important part
of health, quality of life, and general
wellbeing. Studies indicate that less than
half of patients' sexual concerns are known
by their physicians, and physicians are
unaware of how common these sexual concerns
are in their practices. Our objective was to
determine the prevalence and type of sexual
concerns among women seeking routine
gynecological care.
Methods:
We mailed the
survey in waves. Of 1480 women seeking
routine gynecological care from the
departments of Family Practice and
Obstetrics and Gynecology at Madigan Army
Medical Center between August 1992 and
January 1993, 964 responded. The main
outcome measures were self-reported sexual
concerns and their experiences with
discussing these concerns with a physician.
Results:
A A total of 98.8% of the women we
surveyed reported one or more sexual
concerns. The most frequently reported
concerns were lack of interest (87.2%),
difficulty with orgasm (83.3%), inadequate
lubrication (74.7%), dyspareunia (71.7%),
body image concerns (68.5%), unmet sexual
needs (67.2%), and needing information about
sexual issues (63.4%). More than half
reported concerns about physical or sexual
abuse, and more than 40% reported sexual
coercion at some point in their lives.
Conclusions:
Our results suggest that sexual
health concerns are prevalent for women
seeking routine gynecological care. Sexual
health inquiry should be a regular and
important part of health care maintenance.
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