Poor sleep quality, low income, depression predict sexual dysfunction in women

Sexual dysfunction in women is associated with several factors, including senility, dissatisfaction with sleep, not having a partner, complaints of depression, low education, insufficient income, and worse perception of global health, according to a Brazil study.

This cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted through a household survey to identify the predictive factors for female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in climacteric women. The researchers assessed the following measures: sociodemographic characteristics, depressive symptoms, level of physical activity, presence of FSD, self-rated health, and sleep satisfaction.

A total of 381 climacteric, sexually active women (mean age 55.04 years) participated in this study. Of these, 38.3 percent had FSD. All variables examined exhibited an association with FSD (p<0.05).

The final model showed the following predictors for FSD: low satisfaction with sleep (odds ratio [OR], 4.20, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 2.32‒7.62), advanced age (OR, 1.04, 95 percent CI, 1.00‒1.08), low education level (OR, 0.90, 95 percent CI, 0.85‒0.97), and having a partner (OR, 0.35, 95 percent CI, 0.16‒0.76).

“These aspects deserve attention from the health team to prevent and identify FSD early in life in climacteric women,” the researchers said.

“This study support existing data about risk factors for FSD in climacteric women. However, it is not possible to attribute causality to any of the correlates identified, which is a limitation of cross-sectional studies,” they added.