Evaluation of sexuality in a Paraguayan mid-aged female urban population using the six-item Female Sexual Function Index

Abstract

Background There are scant data related to sexuality assessed among mid-aged women from Paraguay.

Objective To assess sexual function in a sample of mid-aged Paraguayan women.

Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which 265 urban-living women from Asunción (Paraguay) aged 40–65 years were surveyed with the six-item version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-6) and a questionnaire containing personal and partner data.

Results The median age of the sample was 48 years, 48.2% were postmenopausal (median/interquartile range age at menopause 46/13 years), 11.3% used hormone therapy, 37.0% used psychotropic drugs, 44.5% had hypertension, 7.2% diabetes, 46.1% abdominal obesity and 89.4% had a partner (n = 237). Overall, 84.1% (223/265) of surveyed women were sexually active, presenting a median total FSFI-6 score of 23.0, and 25.6% obtained a total score of 19 or less, suggestive of sexual dysfunction (lower sexual function). Upon bivariate analysis, several factors were associated with lower total FSFI-6 scores; however, multiple linear regression analysis found that lower total FSFI-6 scores (worse sexual function) were significantly correlated to the postmenopausal status and having an older partner, whereas coital frequency was positively correlated to higher scores (better sexual function).

Conclusion In this pilot sample of urban-living, mid-aged Paraguayan women, as determined with the FSFI-6, lower sexual function was related to menopausal status, coital frequency and partner age. There is a need for more research in this regard in this population.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexuality assessment
• menopausal sexuality
• mid-age
• six-item Female Sexual Function Index
• risk factors
• Paraguay

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the women who participated in this initiative. F. R. Pérez-López and P. Chedraui were involved in study conception and design. S. C. Sánchez and M. E Ortiz-Benegas conducted surveys. P. Chedraui and Y. Palacios de Franco performed the statistical analysis. F. R. Pérez-López and P. Chedraui performed drafting of the manuscript. All authors were involved in critically revising the manuscript for its intellectual content, and the final approval of the manuscript was performed by all authors.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest and are alone responsible for the writing and content of this document. The preliminary data of this study were presented as a poster at the 10th European Congress on Menopause and Andropause, 20–22 May 2015, Madrid, Spain.

Source of funding

This study was partly supported by the Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Ecuador, through grant No. SIU-318-853-2014 (The Omega II, Women’s Health Project 2014) provided by the Sistema de Investigación y Desarrollo.