J Sex Med. 2008 Apr 11
Risk Factors for Female Sexual Dysfunction
in the General Population: Exploring Factors
Associated with Low Sexual Function and
Sexual Distress.
Hayes RD, Dennerstein L, Bennett CM, Sidat
M, Gurrin LC, Fairley CK.
School of Population Health, The University
of Melbourne, Australia.
Introduction. No previous population-based
studies have used validated instruments to
measure female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in
Australian women across a broad age range.
Aim. To estimate prevalence and explore
factors associated with the components of
FSD. Main Outcome Measures. Sexual Function
Questionnaire measured low sexual function.
Female Sexual Distress Scale measured sexual
distress. Methods. Multivariate analysis of
postal survey data from a random sample of
356 women aged 20-70 years. Results. Low
desire was more likely to occur in women in
relationships for 20-29 years (odds ratio
3.7, 95% confidence intervals 1.1-12.8) and
less likely in women reporting greater
satisfaction with their partner as a lover
(0.3, 0.1-0.9) or who placed greater
importance on sex (0.1, 0.03-0.3). Low
genital arousal was more likely among women
who were perimenopausal (4.4, 1.2-15.7),
postmenopausal (5.3, 1.6-17.7), or depressed
(2.5, 1.1-5.3), and was less likely in women
taking hormone therapy (0.2, 0.04-0.7), more
educated (0.5, 0.3-0.96), in their 30s (0.2,
0.1-0.7) or 40s (0.2, 0.1-0.7), or placed
greater importance on sex (0.2, 0.05-0.5).
Low orgasmic function was less likely in
women who were in their 30s (0.3, 0.1-0.8)
or who placed greater importance on sex
(0.3, 0.1-0.7). Sexual distress was
positively associated with depression (3.1,
1.2-7.8) and was inversely associated with
better communication of sexual needs (0.2,
0.05-0.5). Results were adjusted for other
covariates including age, psychological,
socioeconomic, physiological, and
relationship factors. Conclusions.
Relationship factors were more important to
low desire than age or menopause, whereas
physiological and psychological factors were
more important to low genital arousal and
low orgasmic function than relationship
factors. Sexual distress was associated with
both psychological and relationship factors.
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