title: Sexual function of women taking antihypertensive agents: a comparative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a method to evaluate the effects of clonidine and prazosin on sexual function in hypertensive women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Crossover, active-drug controlled pilot study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community recruitment to a university-based teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten premenopausal and eight postmenopausal women with mild hypertension and unimpaired sexual function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Periodic, self-administered daily diaries assessed the sexual arousal and desire and orgasmic function of women receiving placebo, clonidine, and prazosin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using analysis of variance for orgasmic characteristics and comparison of the percentages of yes responses to the sexual function questions, no significant difference in the levels of sexual function of women receiving placebo, clonidine, and prazosin was found. However, there was a suggestion that clonidine and prazosin affected some aspects of sexual function. Of the women who received clonidine first, fewer were receptive to partner approach during medication therapy (49%) than during placebo (61%). Fewer women wished for their partners to approach them (WISH) during therapy (41% and 53% for clonidine and prazosin, respectively) than during placebo (60%). In the group that received prazosin first, WISH was affected (32% for prazosin, 31% for clonidine, 45% for placebo). Orgasmic strength increased from 2.1 on placebo to 2.7 on clonidine (second medication), measured on a four-point Likert scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study developed a method using self-administered daily diaries for evaluating the effects of antihypertensive agents on sexual function in hypertensive women. These potential effects need to be evaluated in larger studies.
authors.affiliation: University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hodge
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Harward
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krongaard-DeMong
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Kowal-Neeley
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003000:Clonidine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy; D008593:Menopause; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011224:Prazosin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D003000:Clonidine; D011224:Prazosin