title: Sexual function assessment in postmenopausal women with the 14-item changes in sexual functioning questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sexual function assessment is relevant to improve female health care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Assess sexual function in postmenopausal women and determine predictors related to sociodemographic, lifestyle, and health-related female/partner data and tool measures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study in which 117 sexually active postmenopausal women filled out the 14-item Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ-14), the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CESD-10), the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS), and a general questionnaire containing female/partner data. Correlations between tool measurements and female/partner data were analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary end point was sexual function predictors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age was 57 years, 8.5% had low income, 3.4% had surgical menopause, 17.1% had hypertension, and 66.7% increased body mass index. In addition, 21.4% were current hormone therapy users and 28.2% engaged in regular exercise. According to the MRS, muscle/joint problems (86.3%) and physical/mental exhaustion (81.2%) were the top encountered menopausal symptoms. Also, 48.7% displayed depressed mood (CESD-10 total scores ≥ 10) and 64.1% displayed total CSFQ-14 scores ≤41, suggesting sexual dysfunction. Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was high for all tools: total CSFQ-14 scale (0.87), total MRS (0.80), and the CESD-10 (0.85). CSFQ-14 total scores inversely correlated with MRS scores (total, psychological, and urogenital, P < 0.05). Arousal scale scores inversely correlated with MRS total and urogenital scores whereas orgasm scores only with the total MRS. CESD-10 scores inversely correlated with all CSFQ-14 scores and positively with all MRS scores. Multiple linear regression was used to obtain a reduced best-fit model predicting total CSFQ-14 scores (sexual function). Total CSFQ-14 scores were positively correlated to female education, and education and regular exercising in the partner and inversely correlated to CESD-10 total scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Assessed with the CSFQ-14 tool, sexual function of this postmenopausal sample correlated to female/partner educational, lifestyle, and health factors. More research is warranted in this regard.
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Asturias Central University Hospital and Oviedo University Oviedo, Gijón, Spain.
authors.forename: Plácido
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Llaneza
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fernández-Iñarrea
authors.forename: Begoña
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Arnott
authors.forename: María P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: García-Portilla
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chedraui
authors.forename: Faustino R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pérez-López
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012747:Sexual Partners; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires