title: HIV infection and women's sexual functioning.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare sexual problems among HIV-positive and HIV-negative women and describe clinical and psychosocial factors associated with these problems.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected during a study visit of the Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). The WIHS studies the natural and treated history of HIV among women in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between October 01, 2006, and March 30, 2007, 1805 women (1279 HIV positive and 526 HIV negative) completed a study visit that included administration of the Female Sexual Function Index. In addition, the visit included completion of standardized interviewer-administered surveys, physical and gynecological examinations, and blood sample collection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Women with HIV reported greater sexual problems than did those without HIV. Women also reported lower sexual function if they were classified as menopausal, had symptoms indicative of depression, or if they reported not being in a relationship. CD4 cell count was associated with Female Sexual Function Index scores, such that those with CD4 <or=199 cells per microliter reported lower functioning as compared with those whose cell count was 200 or higher.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given research documenting relationships between self-reported sexual problems and both clinical diagnoses of sexual dysfunction and women's quality of life, greater attention to this issue as a potential component of women's overall HIV care is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Health Sciences, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY 11203, USA. tracey.wilson@downstate.edu
authors.forename: Tracey E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Girardin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jean-Louis
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Elizabeth T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Golub
authors.forename: Mardge H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Pauline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maki
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Greenblatt
authors.forename: L Stewart
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Massad
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Robison
authors.forename: Lakshmi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Goparaju
authors.forename: Stacy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lindau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000523:psychology*; D018023:HIV Seronegativity; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009948:Orgasm; D011584:Psychology; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult