title: Female sexual dysfunction in Iranian postmenopausal women: prevalence and correlation with hormonal profile.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Female sexual dysfunction is a current and multifactorial status that greatly affects quality of life. Menopause, aging, and probably hormonal instability are some of these drastic factors.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Determine the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in Iranian postmenopausal women and the relationship to serum status of sex hormones and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 149 healthy postmenopausal women aged 43-64, nonhormone therapy user, with intact uterus and ovaries, enrolled in the cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female sexual function was evaluated by utilizing the Female Sexual Function Index. Hormonal serum concentration was measured by enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Also, free testosterone and free estradiol indexes were calculated. The analysis was performed by using SPSS 16.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age of sample was 52.19 ± 3.76 with 47.48 ± 36.5 month amenorrhea. In the study, 69.8% of women showed sexual dysfunction in Desire and 61.7% in Arousal, these two being the most affected domains. Lubrication (49.7%), Pain Domain (45.0%), Orgasm (40.3%), and Satisfaction (36.9%) were in later degree among six assessed domains. There was no difference between the two groups-with and without dysfunction-in hormone level and SHBG.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Iranian postmenopausal women, Desire and Arousal are the most prevalent menopausal sexual dysfunctions, and Female Sexual Dysfunction is much more than just a hormonal problem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran. moghasemi.s@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sedigheh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moghassemi
authors.forename: Saeideh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ziaei
authors.forename: Zainab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Haidari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D007989:Libido; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D004958:Estradiol