Introduction

40% of women in the United States experience concern with regard to sexual function. Female sexual function (FSF) can be broken down into different categories based on the domain involved, including desire, arousal, orgasm, and pain. There are multiple causes for FSF including physical, hormonal, and psychological etiologies, and patients may have additional risk factors that contribute to the dysfunction experienced including depression, obesity, and hypertension. This is especially relevant in West Virginia, which ranks among the highest for several of these risk factors. The presence of sexual dysfunction in patients with interstitial cystitis (IC) is significant and well documented. Herein, we report the data on 362 subjects indexed by the presence or absence of IC and compare the degree of sexual dysfunction associated with the disease.

Methods

Domain values were obtained by employing the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), developed by Rosen, et. al,. This 19-item questionnaire evaluates FSD in six domains. Data was analyzed on an item-for-item basis and by the six domains of sexual dysfunction for our patients and compared to two control groups. The first consisted of 131 healthy volunteers (Rosen, 2000) and the second consisted of 127 patients with Female Sexual Arousal Disorder (FSAD). Statistical significance was determined with one-way ANOVA testing (P<0.05).

Results

The table below compares our data with two comparison groups across the 6 domains measured by the FSFI. WVU patients with IC scored the lowest in arousal, lubrication, and orgasm, and had the lowest scores in each category compared with all other groups (P < 0.001). WVU patients without IC scored the lowest in arousal and desire, and had worse scores than the control in all categories.

Conclusions

This study is the first exploration of the Urologic patients in West Virginia with regard to FSF, and it highlights a vastly significant amount of sexual dysfunction within this population. West Virginia in 2015 had the 47th worst health ranking in the United States, with especially high prevalence of smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, heart disease and diabetes. Understanding the physical and psychological causes of female sexual dysfunction as well as the category of sexual function affected is critical for properly treating patients for their specific need.

Funding

None