Comparison of the sexual dysfunction in women with multiple sclerosis and control group

Abstract

Purpose: Multiple sclerosis is a progressive and common chronic disease that affects about 2.8 million of the world's population. It has a series of neurological and psychological symptoms, one of which is sexual dysfunction. This symptom is more common in multiple sclerosis than other neurological diseases and is 5 times more common than in the general population. This study aimed to compare the sexual dysfunction in women with and without MS. Methods: 95 women were in the experiment group and 93 in the control group. Demographic features were collected. The Persian version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire was used to investigate the subjects’ sexual function. EDSS was used to evaluate the disability of the subjects with multiple sclerosis.Results: The average FSFI in women with multiple sclerosis was 21.47, and that in the control group was 22.37. This difference in the obtained score was not significant. (p=0.088) Also, a significant difference was observed in the scores obtained in the areas of sexual desire, arousal, and lubrication.Conclusions: In general, this study indicated the presence of sexual dysfunction in the studied women. However, there was no significant difference in the presence of sexual dysfunction between the multiple sclerosis patients and the control group. Impairment in sexual function as well as the areas of desire, arousal, and lubrication were more common in women with multiple sclerosis. It is recommended that further studies should be conducted to confirm the results of this study.

Keywords

• women
• multiple sclerosis
• sexual function
• sexual dysfunction