title: Assessment of sexual function of mid-aged Ecuadorian women with the 6-item Female Sexual Function Index.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Assessing sexuality is a difficult task, hence used tools should be straight forward and easy to use.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess sexual function in mid-aged Ecuadorian women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross sectional study, 904 otherwise healthy women 40-59 years completed the short 6-item Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI-6) and a general socio-demographic questionnaire containing personal/partner data. Internal consistency of the tool was also assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median age of the whole sample was 49 years, 51.1% were postmenopausal, 43.8% lived at high altitude, 12.6% used hormone therapy (HT), 58.5% presented hot flushes, 43.5% were abdominally obese and 80.8% had a partner. Overall, 72.4% of surveyed women reported sexual activity (n=655/904) with 65% of these presenting total FSFI-6 scores equal or below 20 the calculated median (lower sexual function). A 10.2% of those having a partner were sexually inactive. Internal consistency of tool was high (Cronbach's alpha=0.91). Total FSFI-6 scores positively correlated with coital frequency and female and partner educational level and inversely with female age, waist circumference, hot flush intensity and partner age (bivariate analysis). Multiple linear regression analysis determined that lower scores (lower sexual function) were related to high altitude, history of sexual abuse, sedentarism, hot flush intensity, partner age and sexual dysfunction whereas partner educational level, coital frequency and female parity were significantly related to higher scores (better sexual function).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As assessed with a consistent, short, and easy to use tool lower sexual function of this mid-aged series was related to several female and partner factors. More research with this tool is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Research Group for the Ecuadorian Climacteric & Menopause Society (SECLIM), Ecuador. institutochedraui@gmail.com
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chedraui
authors.forename: Faustino R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Pérez-López
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Wellington
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Aguirre
authors.forename: Nalo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Octavio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.forename: María S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Plaza
authors.forename: Gino
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schwager
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Narváez
authors.forename: Juan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Quintero
authors.forename: Branly
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zambrano
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000531:Altitude; D003075:Coitus; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004484:Ecuador / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012742:Sex Offenses; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological; D012747:Sexual Partners; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires