Menopausal Sexual Interest Questionnaire (MSIQ): A Unidimensional Scale for the Assessment of Sexual Interest in Postmenopausal Women

Abstract

A panel of experts formulated relevant domains of sexual function with a focus on sexual interest and desire. The resulting 10-item scale, the Menopausal Sexual Interest Questionnaire (MSIQ), was examined for reliability (internal consistency and test-retest repeatability), construct validity (concurrent, convergent, and discriminant), sensitivity, and specificity in a clinical trial. A principal components analysis identified three factors (desire, responsiveness, and satisfaction) with eigenvalues > 1. A high degree of internal consistency was observed for each of the three domains. Test-retest repeatability correlation coefficients for domain scores were all highly significant. The MSIQ demonstrated adequate construct validity, with all three domains showing a high degree of sensitivity and with two of the three exhibiting specificity to the effects of treatment.

Notes

*Equivalent to 0.625 mg/day conjugated equine estrogens or esterified estrogens, 1.0 mg/day micronized estradiol or 0.05 mg transdermal estradiol.

*P-values assessed using between-groups analysis of variance or Chi-square/Fishers' Exact test.

*Items with the highest loadings within each factor.

*Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (range of r = −1.00– + 1.00).

*Items with the highest loadings within each factor.

*P-values for domain and item scores assessed using two-sample t-tests. Satterthwaite's correction for unequal variances was applied when appropriate.

*P-value ≤ 0.05.

*Mean difference between pretreatment and posttreatment scores.