Background:Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) has been increasingly recognized as an extremely important public health issue. It has direct impact on the health, well-being and quality of life of women. Cultural factors and deeply embedded health beliefs may play a decisive role in defining the health seeking behavior for sexual problems among Egyptian women.Aim of the workthe aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of Female Sexual Dysfunctions among married women attending Family Health Centers (FHCs) in Alexandria and to investigate help seeking behaviors among them.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Alexandria targeting 369 married women attending Family Health Centers in Alexandria. Female Sexual Dysfunctions were assessed using the Arabic version of Female Sexual Function Index (ArFSFI) and help seeking behaviors were assessed using a pre-designed structured questionnaire.ResultsThe prevalence of (FSD) was estimated to be 72.4%,13.3% of women had one type of sexual disorders while 59.1% had multiple sexual disorders. Although 77.9%of women reported feeling distressed by their sexual problems, none of them had thought professional help, The most common cause for not seeking help identified as “The topic is embarrassing” and believing that “No treatment for such problems”.(84.1% and 4.9% respectively). Educational level and occupational status of of women were significant predictors for seeking help.ConclusionThe study findings indicated that FSDs were highly prevalent and many women didn't seek help for their sexual problems.“The topic is embarrassing” and “No treatment for such problems” were the most reported reasons for not seeking help among Egyptian women.

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Introduction:Female sexual dysfunction is a common problem with detrimental effects on woman's quality of life. It also has an economical and societal impact. It is defined as disorders of sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, and sexual pain which lead to personal distress.Aim:The study was planned to determine the prevalence and determinants of female sexual dysfunction in women attending family health centers clinics in Alexandria.Methods:Totally, 369 women aged 18–59 years were interviewed while they were attending Family Health Centers FHCs in Alexandria. Data were collected by personal interview in a questionnaire format in addition to physical examination (when allowed).Main Outcome Measures:Arabic version of Female Sexual Function Index (ArFSFI) was used to evaluate sexual function.Results:The mean age of women was 29.62 ± 6.14 years. 73.4% of women had one or more sexual problems; however, 22.1% of the women with sexual problems were not distressed by these issues. We found that 66.4% of women had desire disorder, 52.6% of women had arousal disorder, 49.3% of women had lubrication disorder, 45% of women had orgasm disorder, 34.4% had dissatisfaction and 42% of women had pain disorder. The mean FSFI score was found to be 24.73 ± 4.75 out of a maximum total score of 36. The main domain scores were: desire 3.64 ± 0.75, arousal 3.92 ± 0.91, lubrication 4.35 ± 0.99, orgasm 4.17 ± 1.19, satisfaction 4.51 ± 1.26 and pain 4.15 ± 1.21 out of a maximum domain score of six.Conclusions:FSD is a highly prevalent problem within the scope of this study. Age of marriage, duration of marriage, high parity, female genital mutilation (FGM) and presence of partner sexual dysfunction were found to be significantly associated with low sexual function in Egyptian women.