Sexual Function in Women With Neurological Disorders (original) (raw)

Everything you always wanted to know about sex and Neurology: neurological disability and sexuality

Arquivos de neuro-psiquiatria, 2018

Chronic neurological disorders generate disabilities affecting multiple aspects of life, including sexuality. To describe the presence of sexual dysfunction and comorbidities in a population with chronic neurological disorders. To analyze the relationship between disability and sexual dysfunction. A cross-sectional case-control study was carried out. Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease (PD), and stroke of at least one year since the onset of symptoms were included, and compared with controls with no neurological disease, matched by age and sex. We included 71 participants: 29 controls, with a mean age of 49.4 years, and 42 patients with a mean age of 53.8 years. Sexual dysfunction was present in 22.5% of the controls and 77.5% of the patients. A statistically significant relationship between sexual dysfunction and disability was found in the logistic regression analysis (OR = 20.38, 95%CI: 2.5 -165.86). Disability prove...

Sexual function in men and women with neurological disorders

The Lancet, 2007

The advent of non-invasive functional brain imaging has clarifi ed which regions of the brain are recruited during sexual arousal. Injuries to those regions, and to the spinal cord and peripheral nerves that link genitalia to limbic and cognitive centres, can profoundly infl uence sexual wellbeing. In epilepsy, expressions of hypersexuality and hyposexuality interact with the location of epileptogenic foci in the temporolimbic circuitry, and are tempered by the sexual eff ects of drug treatments. We outline the sexual consequences of epilepsy, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and other common neurological disorders. Management of sexual dysfunction from both disease and treatment is discussed. Nerve-sparing techniques could mitigate the substantial sexual dysfunction in both men and women through surgical disruption of the autonomic nerves during radical pelvic surgery.

Sexual function in women with multiple sclerosis

Acta medica Iranica, 2014

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of central nervous system (CNS) and sexual dysfunction (SD) is one of the most common disabilities of MS women. The aim of this study was to determine sexual function of women with MS (multiple sclerosis). One hundred definite MS patients MS patients and fifty age-matched healthy controls were enrolled. Demographic data (sex, age), duration of the disease and disease pattern extracted from patient's files and Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) recorded for each patient by an expert neurologist. Participants were asked to answer the valid and reliable Persian version of Beck depression inventory (BDI) and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaires. The total FSFI score and subscale scores differed significantly between the MS patients and the controls. There was a significant negative correlation between EDSS and FSFI scores (rho=-0.44, P<0.001) and significant positive correlation between EDSS and BDI (r...

Sexual function in women with advanced multiple sclerosis

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 1995

Changes in sexual function in 47 women with advanced multiple sclerosis are described. Twenty eight (59-6%) of the women reported decreased sexual desire. Seventeen (36.2%) reported decreased lubrication. Five (10-6%) others did not know if they lubricated or not. Eighteen women (38.3%) reported diminished orgasmic capacity and six (12.8%) others had never had an orgasm. Sensory dysfunction in the genital area was experienced by 61-7% of the women and 76-6% had weakness of the pelvic muscles. Sixty six per cent had bowel problems and 89-4% had bladder dysfunction. The changes in sexual function correlated both with neurological symptoms from the sacral segments, such as weakness of the pelvic floor and bladder and bowel dysfunction, and to other symptoms such as ataxia and vertigo as well as with age and the occurrence of amenorrhoea. A significant correlation was found between expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score and cohabitation. Problems with sexual function were reported significantly more often by women with lower EDSS scores. Most women (83%) found the interview a positive experience.

Evaluation of sexual function in women at two stages of multiple sclerosis

World Journal of Urology, 2012

Purpose In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the sexual function in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were examined in two subgroups and compare the results to the control group with a validated questionnaire. Methods A total of 23 consecutive female MS patients divided into groups with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and 45 healthy control subjects were included into the study. The inclusion criteria were as follows: Definite MS, age between 18 and 60 years and an Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of \8. The neurologic impairment, the disability and the independence of the patient, and cognitive performances were measured, and also the effect of MS is evaluated by EDSS. Results No statistically significant difference was found between two groups. FSFI scores in both groups were significantly lower than the control group. Domain scores for desire, arousal, orgasm, pain, lubrication and satisfaction measured between RRMS and SPMS patients showed no significant difference. Comparing each domain score for arousal, orgasm and satisfaction revealed significantly lower scores in RRMS and SPMS patients compared to control group. Conclusions In this study, we detected statistically significant decrease in FSFI scores in two groups of MS compared to healthy controls. We could not define a difference in sexual function in different stages of MS in women and a statistically significant negative correlation between EDSS and FSFI scores in the two subgroups of MS.

Sexual Function in Iranian Female Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences

BACKGROUND: One of the typical disorders in females with multiple sclerosis (MS) is Sexual dysfunction (SD). AIM: This study aimed to compare the sexual function of women with and without MS and to recognise factors that possibly related to sexual dysfunction of women with MS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sexual function of 34 women with MS as a case study group were compared to a group of control comprised of 64 women. Female Sexual Function Inventory (FSFI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were used accordingly to assess sexual function and severity of depression of case and control groups. Functional status of MS Patients was assessed by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The data were analysed using chi-square, independent Samples t, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and multiple linear regression tests. RESULTS: There were no differences in the Total FSFI and 4 FSFI subscale scores (i.e. sexual desire, arousal, lubrication and satisfaction) between women with MS and...

Determinants of sexual dysfunction in women with multiple sclerosis

BMC Neurology, 2013

Background: The aim of present study was to determine disease-related and psychological risk factors for sexual dysfunction in women with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: This was a clinical-based study conducted from September 2009 to June 2010 in Tehran, Iran. A consecutive sample of female patients with MS was recruited from an outpatient clinic. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to evaluate sexual function. In addition neurological impairment was measured using the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), and depression was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed in order to examine the association between sexual dysfunction and independent variables. Results: In all, 226 women participated in the study. Of these, 125 women (55.3%) met the criteria for sexual dysfunction. The mean age of participants was 35.7 years (SD = 8.07). The results obtained from multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that the disease duration (OR for the disease duration of equal or greater than 9 years = 3.13, %95 CI = 1.29-7.57, P = 0.01), the disease course (OR for secondary progressive MS = 3.96, %95 CI = 1.55-10.10, P = 0.004) and the BDI score (OR = 1.11, %95 CI = 1.07-1.16, P < 0.001) were significant factors contributing to sexual dysfunction in these patients. Conclusions: The findings from this study indicated that the duration and severity of the disease in addition to depression were the most significant factors that contributed to sexual dysfunction in women with multiple sclerosis. The burden of disease and sexual dysfunction suggests the need for further attention to this patient population.

Sexual Dysfunctions in Multiple Sclerosis

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1984

The frequency, nature and enjoyment of sexual practices may be disturbed by acute or chronic illness. Sexual problems may be caused by, among other factors, the nonspecific symptoms of illness, the anxieties over disruption of lifestyle or the specific impairments caused by a disorder. Patients with, for example, multiple sclerosis are thought to experience sexual problems commonly. In one study, Lilius found that in a group of 284 MS patients, 64% of the men and 39% of the women described their sexual life as "unsatisfactory" or "ceased entirely."' Lundberg found that 90% of his MS patients confined to wheelchairs "have major problems with sexual function."* Szasz et al. used a Sexual Functioning Scale to study 73 consecutive patients a t an M S clinic and found that 45% of the patients were "less sexually active" or "inactive" since the onset of MS. Fifty percent of this group indicated that they were "concerned" about this situation.' In a follow-up study, 18 "concerned" MS patients listed their sexual concerns as: "cannot satisfy the partner" (1 1 patients), "don't feel like sex" (9 patients), "cannot satisfy myself" (1 1 patients), "cannot be like a man" (4 patients), and "partner does not feel like sex" (2 patients). Fifteen of these patients were men; most were over the age of 40, and most were married. The three women were over the age of 50. and only one was married. Most of these patients had M S for over 10 years. Their rating on the Kurtzke Disability Scale ranged from 1 to 7.4 The purpose of this paper is to consider the epidemiology, diagnosis and management of one sexual problem area that may be associated with MS, that of sexual dysfunctions. CLASSIFICATION Sexual dysfunctions include erectile and ejaculatory disorders in men, disorders of vaginal lubrication, orgasm and vaginismus in women. Some definitions also include sexual disinterest.' The nature and the significance of these dysfunctions vary and are dependent on a variety of factors, including the health and the age of the patient and the presence or absence of a partner. EPIDEMIOLOGY Sexual Dysfunctions in the General Population Kinsey et al. estimated that impotence affected 18% of the American male population at the age of 60. Premature ejaculation was not considered a disorder and 9% of women were described as nonorgasmic on a lifetime basis! Frank et al. studied 100 white well-educated couples who were nonpatient volunteers. Forty percent of the men reported erectile or ejaculatory problems. Sixty-three percent of the women described orgasmic dysfunctions. However, 80% of

Sexual dysfunction in women with multiple sclerosis: Dimensions and contributory factors

Journal of Research in Medical Sciences, 2014

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common reported problem in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). to examine frequency and distribution of SD dimensions and to determine whether SD is related to various clinical and demographic variables in female patients. A total of 271 MS women (age: 19-50 years) participated in this cross-sectional study. We used a structured demographic and clinical interview and Multiple Sclerosis Intimacy and Sexuality Questionnaire-19 (MSISQ-19). Disability was rated by Expanded Disability Status Score (EDSS). 63.5% (n = 173) of women had SD included 142 (52.4%) women with primary SD, 102 (37.5%) women with secondary SD and 120 (41%) women with tertiary SD. The most common SD-related complaint was orgasmic problem (41.2%). Women with primary SD were significantly older and had higher EDSS score. No significant relationship was found between primary SD and disease duration. Fatigue (OR = 2.69, 95% CI: 1.352-5.385, P = 0.005), memory and concentration complaints ...