title: Perceptions of female sexual health and sexual dysfunction in a cohort of urban professional women in Abuja, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data on sexual health behaviors, and the prevalence and risk factors for female sexual dysfunction (FSD) are rare, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study was to briefly investigate the perceptions of a cohort of adult urban female professionals about female sexual health and sexual dysfunction awareness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty female hospital staff attending an introductory seminar on FSD participated in this study by completing a 15-item questionnaire on some aspects of female sexual health. Questions asked ranged from sexual activity in the preceding 6 months, menopausal status, if they thought they had sexual dysfunction to their willingness to discuss an FSD with a sexual health physician if they had access to one.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over 50% (n=28) of the respondents had an idea about what FSD was before the survey. These respondents further defined FSD as either the inability of a female to respond to sex, a lack of urge to engage in sexual activities, or inability to attain orgasm. About half of the respondents (n=21) did not know that FSD could be managed; however, 70% of them felt comfortable with discussing FSD symptoms with a sexual health practitioner.76.9% of the respondents who thought they had symptoms of FSD in this series (n=10) were willing to see a sexual health expert if they had access to one.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides a brief insight into FSD awareness amongst apparently healthy female workers of a health care facility and the need for further community-based studies on female sexual health issues in our society. Furthermore, it highlights the appropriateness of a comprehensive sexual medicine service in tertiary health care facilities in Nigeria for adequate screening and diagnosis of patients before appropriate treatment of FSD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Abuja, Abuja, Nigeria. manshaddie@yahoo.com
authors.forename: O I
authors.initials: OI
authors.lastname: Aisuodionoe-Shadrach
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D010465:Perception; D010564:Personnel, Hospital; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012735:Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological / Q000523:psychology; D020018:Sexual Dysfunctions, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population; D014931:Women, Working / Q000523:psychology*