title: Sexual dysfunction in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sexual dysfunction (SD) is one of the important problems in diabetic patients. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of sexual problems in Iranian women with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among type 2 diabetic women who visited two outpatient endocrine clinics, namely Imam Hospital and Tuba clinic (Sari, Iran) in 2012. Patients were asked to complete two validated questionnaires: Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) as well as a demographic questionnaire. Analysis was performed using descriptive and analytical tests. P<0.05 was considered to be significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and fifty women with type 2 diabetes were investigated. Most of the cases aged 40-44 years old. The mean of the total score of the FSFI questionnaire was 22. The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 78.7% (CI: 71.4-84.4); among these, 58% (CI: 50.0-65.6) reported problems in lubrication, 50% (CI: 42.1-57.9) complained of decreased sexual desire, 50% (CI: 42.1-57.9) had problems with arousal, 47.3% (CI: 39.5-55.3) had dyspareunia, 32.7% (CI: 25.7-40.5) complained of orgasmic dysfunction and 42.7% (CI: 35.0-50.7) reported problems in sexual satisfaction. With regard to the results of the HADS questionnaire, 58.7% (CI: 50.7-66.2) of the patients had depression and 96.7% (CI: 92.4-98.6) had anxiety.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study showed the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in diabetic women, especially among those complaining of depression. Health care professionals dealing with diabetic patients should be aware of possible presence of sexual dysfunction in female patients.
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Science, Sari, Iran;
authors.forename: Forouzan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Elyasi
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran;
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Kashi
authors.affiliation: General Physician, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran;
authors.forename: Bentolhoda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tasfieh
authors.affiliation: Diabetes Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran;
authors.forename: Adele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bahar
authors.affiliation: Department Community Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khademloo
keywords: Diabetes Melitus; Female; Psychological; Sexual dysfunctions