Correlates of sexual function among multi-ethnic middle-aged women

Objective.To determine whether musculoskeletal pain was associated with impaired sexual function in a population sample of middle-aged and older men.Methods.The European Male Ageing Study (EMAS), a multicenter population-based study of men aged 40–79 years, was used to investigate this hypothesis. A questionnaire asked about the presence and duration of musculoskeletal pain, allowing subjects to be classified into 1 of 3 groups: those reporting chronic widespread pain (CWP), those reporting pain but not CWP (“some pain”), and those with no pain. Subjects completed a sexual function questionnaire from which 3 domains were considered: overall sexual functioning (OSF), sexual functioning-related distress (SFD), and change in sexual functioning compared to 1 year ago (CSF).Results.A total of 3206 men [mean age 60 (SD 11) yrs] had complete data on pain status. Of these, 8.7% had CWP and 50.34% had “some pain.” Pain was associated with lower OSF, and higher SFD and CSF scores. After adjustment for putative confounding factors, the associations became non-significant with OSF and CSF but persisted for SFD. Associations between pain status and some items within the sexual functioning domains, including frequency of sexual intercourse, frequency of morning erections, sexual desire, and orgasm were also significant, although these associations varied by pain status.Conclusion.Musculoskeletal pain is associated with several aspects of sexual functioning. These relationships differ depending on the extent of the pain (chronic or not) and are also largely confounded by other health-related factors, primarily depression.

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Validation of the Six-item Female Sexual Function Index in Middle-Aged Brazilian Women

Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia / RBGO Gynecology and Obstetrics ◽

10.1055/s-0039-1692694 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 41 (07) ◽

pp. 432-439 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mona Lúcia Dall'Agno ◽

Charles Francisco Ferreira ◽

Fernanda Vargas Ferreira ◽

Faustino R. Pérez-López ◽

Maria Celeste Osório Wender

Keyword(s):

Sexual Function ◽

Cultural Adaptation ◽

Goodness Of Fit ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Female Sexual Function Index ◽

Female Sexual Function ◽

Middle Aged ◽

Good Reliability ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Function Index

Objective To validate the six-item female sexual function index (FSFI-6) in middle-aged Brazilian women. Methods Cross-sectional observational study, involving 737 (premenopausal n = 117, perimenopausal n = 249, postmenopausal n = 371) Brazilian sexually active women, aged between 40 and 55 years, not using hormonal contraceptive methods. The Brazilian FSFI-6 was developed from the translation and cultural adaptation of the Portuguese FSFI-6 version. The participants completed a general questionnaire, the FSFI-6, and the menopause rating scale (MRS). The validation was performed by AMOS 16.0 software (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) for a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The chi-square of degrees of freedom (χ2/df), the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) and the root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) were used as indices of goodness of fit. Cronbach α coefficient was used for internal consistency. Results The process of cultural adaptation has not altered the Brazilian FSFI-6, as compared with the original content. The CFA for the FSFI-6 score showed an acceptable fit (χ2/df = 3.434, CFI = 0.990, TLI = 0.980, RMSEA = 0.058, 90% confidence interval (90%CI) = 0.033–0.083, p ≤ 0.001) and a good reliability was established in FSFI-6 and MRS (Cronbach α = 0.840 and = 0.854, respectively). In addition, 53.5% of the sample had low sexual function. Conclusion The FSFI-6 was translated and adapted to the Brazilian culture and is a consistent and reliable tool for female sexual dysfunction screening in Brazilian middle-aged women.

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