Assessing Sexual Function and Dyspareunia with the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) in Women with Vulvodynia

Abstract

Using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI; Rosen et al., 2000), we assessed forty-two women with vulvodynia. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach's alphas = 0.90–0.97) for all scales. We compared scale scores to published healthy and patient sample data and found very large effect sizes (1.15–2.83), which indicated that women with vulvodynia reported significantly worse overall sexual function than women without sexual dysfunction and greater pain with sexual intercourse than women with female sexual arousal disorder. Results highlight difficulties experienced across all domains of sexual function, particularly with regard to dyspareunia, for women with vulvodynia. Findings also support the internal consistency and discriminant validity of the FSFI.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Grant HD38493 from the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development awarded to Robin M. Masheb. We would also like to thank Susan Richman, M.D., and Rafat Al-Rejjal, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, and Raymond Rosen, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

Notes

*Sample from the Rosen et al. (2000) study.

*Samples from the Rosen et al. (2000) study.

*Sample from the Rosen et al. (2000) study.

*Sample from the Rosen et al. (2000) study.