Metabolic syndrome affects sexual function in older women, according to a new study by American scientists.
Their paper, in press for the American Journal of Medicine, found that the realms of sexual activity, desire, and satisfaction appeared to be particularly influenced by metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is an umbrella term for several conditions, including high blood pressure, obesity, low HDL cholesterol, and high levels of blood glucose and triglycerides.
The study involved 376 postmenopausal women who lived in Rancho Bernardo, California, a community north of San Diego. They were participants in the larger Rancho Bernardo Study, which in 1972 began assessing the community’s health, with particular focus on cardiovascular disease and aging.
The participants ranged in age from 64 to 82 with an average age of 73 years. They visited the research clinic between 1999 and 2002.
In 2002, the women completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), a questionnaire designed to evaluate a woman’s sexual desire, arousal, vaginal lubrication, orgasm, pain, and satisfaction. The researchers added one more question to the FSFI: “Over the past 4 weeks, have you engaged in any sexual activity or intercourse?” About 39% of the women answered yes to this question.
Information on desire, sexual activity, and satisfaction was considered for all the women. Arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and pain were analyzed only for sexually-active women.
Forty-two percent of the women had metabolic syndrome, fifteen percent of the women had diabetes, and seventy-six percent had high blood pressure.
The researchers found that women with metabolic syndrome were more likely to report low sexual activity and low desire. Also, more women with metabolic syndrome met the criteria for dysfunction on the desire, arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction domains of the FSFI.
The number of factors contributing to metabolic syndrome also played a role. Women who had more cardiovascular risk factors also had higher rates of sexual dysfunction. In discussing these findings, the authors suggested that “prevention of chronic disease and optimization of health may preserve sexual activity and satisfaction.”
Low desire and low sexual activity was especially common among diabetic women. Women with high blood pressure also reported lower rates of sexual activity, although their levels of desire were not much different from their counterparts with normal blood pressure.
Women who had angina, heart attack, or coronary bypass surgery were more likely to have low sexual activity, but this was not the case for women who had experienced heart failure, poor arterial circulation, or stroke. Cardiovascular disease did not seem to affect desire or satisfaction.
The authors acknowledged that their results could not be generalized to all women and that using an additional assessment tool, the Female Sexual Distress Scale, might help to clarify results.
Resources
The American Journal of Medicine
Trompeter, Susan E., MD, et al.
“Metabolic Syndrome and Sexual Function in Postmenopausal Women”
(Article in press. Published online: April 28, 2016)
http://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(16)30435-1/fulltext