Prevalence and factors associated with sexual dysfunction among middle-aged women in a multi-ethnic country: A cross sectional study in Malaysia

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with female sexual dysfunction in an outpatient clinic in Malaysia. Methods: The study was conducted among female patients aged 50 years and older who attended the outpatient clinic of a public hospital in Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire was used that was based on the Malay version of the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire. The predictors of female sexual dysfunction were identified using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 263 females were recruited in this study, with a mean age of 60.6 ± 6.7 years. The distribution of the respondents’ ethnicities was mostly Malay (42.2%), followed by Chinese (41.8%) and Indian (16.0%). The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction among participants was 68.8%. The prevalence of the subscales of female sexual dysfunction was as follows: desire (85.2%), satisfaction (74.9%), arousal (71.1%), lubrication (66.9%), pain (61.2%), and orgasm (60.8%). According to multivariate logistic regression, patients of Indian ethnicity had an increased risk of female sexual dysfunction (OR=16.60, 95% CI=2.54–108.63), and a higher frequency of sexual intercourse was correlated with a lower risk of female sexual dysfunction (OR=0.13, 95% CI=0.08–0.24). Conclusion: Seven-tenths of the middle-aged female patients attending the outpatient clinic suffered from female sexual dysfunction. Indian ethnicity and having a lower frequency of sexual intercourse were predictors of female sexual dysfunction. Future intervention studies are needed to address this problem.

Influence of pelvic floor disorders on sexuality in women

“…Nonetheless, the prevalence found in our study was 15% points below the percentage of women who were estimated to have sexual dysfunction in the USA 17 . In addition, other studies 18 also showed higher prevalences than those detected in our study. Approximately 40% had difficulties with penetration because of pain, a finding consistent with the study by Briken et al 16 Despite this, the great majority reported being sexually quite satisfied, as also found in Carrobles et al 19 Rausch and Rettenberger 20 identified in a systematic review that sexual satisfaction was related to the absence of sexual dysfunction.…”

Prevalencia y caracterización de las disfunciones sexuales en mujeres en transición a la menopausia

“…Con relación a la afectación por dominios del FSFI-6, nuestros hallazgos no concuerdan con los previos de Espitia 23 , quien encontró puntuaciones más bajas tanto en el acumulado del FSFI como por cada dominio, lo que se explica por la edad de las participantes (promedio: 57,18 ± 5,43 años) y por el tipo de cuestionario utilizado. Estos hallazgos se alinean con los publicados por Tey et al 24 en Malasia, en cuyo estudio participaron 263 mujeres de 50 años o más (promedio: 60,6 ± 6,7) y la prevalencia de disfunción sexual femenina fue del 68,8%, distribuidas así por dominios: deseo 85,2%, satisfacción 74,9%, excitación 71,1%, lubricación 66,9%, dolor 61,2% y orgasmo 60,8%.…”

Regular Issue Volume 8, Number 1 (2024)

“…These associations were observed in various parameters, including weight-for-age (WAZ), heightfor-age (HAZ), and body mass index (BMI)-for-age (BAZ). Specifically, the studies consistently demonstrated that picky eaters had significantly lower z-scores in WAZ, HAZ, and BAZ compared to non-picky eaters (p<0.05) (Hikmah & Nur Islami, 2022;Tan et al, 2022;Yaqob Qazaryan & Kazim Karim, 2019;Derks et al, 2018;Shettiwar & Wade, 2019;Chao, 2018;Kumar et al, 2018;Kwon et al, 2017). Overall, the studies revealed that the picky eater group had lower z-score values below the median (zscore 0) for WAZ, HAZ, and BAZ compared to the WHO Child Growth Standards (2016).…”

“…Additionally, Kumar et al (2018) reported agespecific prevalence, revealing an increase in PEB from 32% to 69% as age increased. However, two articles (Derks et al, 2018;Tan et al, 2022) did not provide data on the prevalence of picky eaters. Instead, they focused on examining the association between picky eating behaviour and nutritional status outcomes in their respective study populations.…”

“…In total, nine studies employed four different tools and utilized a total of 14 scales, as summarized in Table 2. The CEBQ by Wardle et al (2001) was the most used tool, accounting for 75% (n=6) of the studies (Hikmah & Nur Islami, 2022;Yaqob Qazaryan & Kazim Karim, 2019;Chao, 2018;Tan et al, 2022;Derks et al, 2018;Shettiwar & Wade, 2019).…”