Predictors of sexual dysfunction in HIV-infected women

Abstract

Sexual dysfunction is more common among the people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection than in those without it. The sexual dysfunction in HIV-infected people is associated with adverse outcomes such as reduced quality of life, unprotected sexual activities, and reduced adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate a potential predictor role of some variables such as socioeconomic status, hormonal and HIV disease profile, type of treatment, depression, anxiety, stress, domestic violence, and status of partner infection for sexual function in people with HIV infection. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 40 HIV-infected women with medical records in behavioral disease counseling centers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The required data were collected using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Depression‚ Anxiety‚ Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Domestic Violence Questionnaire. To examine the CD4 cell levels and hormonal profiles, 5cc blood was taken from the patients simultaneously on days 3 - 5 of their menstrual cycles. The data were analyzed using the SPSS18 software. The mean age of the participants was 38.2 ± 5.2 years, and the frequency of sexual dysfunction was 100%. There was a statistically significant difference in the levels of the elevated variables such as estradiol, stress, anxiety, and depression. The multivariate analysis showed that only the increased estradiol level (P = 0.005, B = 0.06) was a predictor factor of sexual dysfunction. All the HIV-infected women had sexual dysfunction. The results of this study showed that in those women the increased levels of estradiol could be a predictor of sexual dysfunction.

Frequency and Factors Associated with Erectile Dysfunction in People Living with HIV Managed in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Departmental Hospital University of Borgou (DHU-B) in 2017

“…Similar results were reported by Ouedraogo et al [11]. Moshfeghy [7] reported that the predictive factors of erectile dysfunction in PLHIV were stress, depression and anxiety. This could be explained by the fact that HIV infection, in addition to its physical effects, constitutes a heavy psychological burden for patients.…”

“…Apart from the traditional factors associated with ED, HIV infection itself and its treatment contribute to it [5]. The impact of ED could be devastating because sexual function is an important index of quality of life [6] [7] and has a negative emotional, social, sexual and intellectual impact. ED is also increasingly recognized as a cardiovascular risk factor [8] [9].…”

Predictors of sexual dysfunction in HIV-infected men

“…HIV infection is a disease associated with social stigma that causes physical and psychological problems, and endocrine and hormonal disorders are very common among the people infected by this disease, which are due to the unwanted effects of antiviral therapies or the virusspecific function. Among the undesirable outcomes of HIV infection, harm to sexual functions of men and women are also very common (3)(4)(5). Studies have reported a higher prevalence of sexual dysfunction among HIV-infected people compared to the general population (4,6), the reason for which might be the fear of the risk of transmission, the stigma associated with HIV infection, forced use of condoms, changes in body image, and unpleasant conditions caused by HIV infection (3,(6)(7)(8).…”