Correlates of sexual functioning in Italian menopausal women.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the sexuality of Italian menopausal women.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Menopausal women consecutively observed during the study period in menopause clinics.


METHODS
Women were interviewed about their current and premenopausal sexual activity: sexual intercourse frequency and self-rated sexual desire, capacity for orgasm and sexual satisfaction were recorded. Women were defined as having poor sexual functioning if they had one or less sexual intercourses per week or answered 'absent/poor' to the questions about the sexual domains.


RESULTS
Oral hormone therapy (HT) use (odds ratio (OR) 0.43 for desire, 0.54 for orgasm and 0.56 for overall sexual satisfaction, all p < 0.001) and transdermal HT (OR 0.38, 0.53 and 0.53, respectively, all p < 0.001) were significantly associated with lower risk of poor sexual functioning. Higher physical and mental component scores (PCS and MCS, range 0-100) of the Short Form-12 are inversely related to poor sexual functioning (OR by point 0.96, 0.95, 0.95 for PCS and 0.96, 0.96 and 0.95, for MCS, respectively, all p < 0.001). Pain during and symptoms after sexual intercourse were significantly related to desire (OR 1.96 and 1.78, respectively), orgasm (OR 2.22 and 2.06, respectively) and sexual satisfaction (OR 2.02 and 1.79, respectively). The partner's health problems were associated with low sexual intercourse frequency (OR 4.18, p < 0.001) and absent/poor overall satisfaction (OR 2.61, p < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
This study shows that, in menopausal Italian women attending menopause clinics, sexual function is associated with the quality of sexual life in reproductive age, partner's health status, current quality of life, HT and occurrence of pain during and symptoms after sexual intercourse.
Associazione Ostetrici Ginecologi Ospedalieri Italiani, Perugia, Italy.
C
C
Donati Sarti
A
A
Graziottin
M
M
Mincigrucci
E
E
Ricci
F
F
Chiaffarino
S
S
Bonaca
A
A
Becorpi
S
S
Cipriani
F
F
Parazzini
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007989:Libido; D008019:Life Style; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health