Impairment of sexual activity in middle-aged women in Chile.
OBJECTIVE
It has been suggested that approximately 40% of women between 40 and 64 years of age cease their sexual activity. Our objective was to examine the reasons that sexual activity has stopped and to determine the effect that this behavior has on the marital stability of those middle-aged women.


METHODS
A total of 534 healthy women between 40 and 64 years of age who were attending the Southern Metropolitan Health Service in Santiago, Chile, were asked to take part in the study.


RESULTS
The main reasons for sexual inactivity in middle-aged women were sexual dysfunction (49.2%), unpleasant personal relationship with a partner (17.9%), and lack of a partner (17.7%). These reasons vary with aging; in women younger than 45 years, the most frequent reason was erectile dysfunction (40.7%); in those between 45 and 59, low sexual desire (40.5%); and, in women older than 60 years, the lack of a partner (32.4%). Sexual inactivity did not affect marital stability because women without sexual relationships (68.2% of the entire sample) were married. Among the divorced women, female sexual dysfunction was responsible for only 11.7% of the separations.


CONCLUSIONS
Low sexual desire is the main reason for ceasing sexual activity. Nevertheless, stopping sexual relationships does not seem to be important in marital stability.
Blümel
Juan Enrique
JE
Hospital Luco-Trudeau Faculty of Medicine. South University Santiago de Chile and the PROSAM (PRO SAlud de la la Mujer) Foundation, Santiago, Chile. castelo@medicina.ub.es
Castelo-Branco
Camil
C
Cancelo
María Jesús
MJ
Romero
Hernán
H
Aprikian
Daniel
D
Sarrá
Salvador
S
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000367:Age Factors; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D007172:Erectile Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage / Q000523:psychology; D008593:Menopause / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology; D012747:Sexual Partners; D017805:Widowhood / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*