The use of validated questionnaires to assess female sexual dysfunction

There has been a surge in both public and professional interest in the field of female sexual medicine. Questionnaires are useful to assess sexual function. In the field of male sexual medicine, the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire is considered the gold standard self-assessment instrument. In the field of female sexual medicine, no such instrument exists. A major reason for the lack of a standardized instrument is a result of the continuing evolution of the definition of female sexual dysfunction. Previously available self-assessment instruments are one-dimensional and, therefore, are not appropriate for the current definition of female sexual dysfunction. We review three multidimensional self-report instruments. These instruments include the Brief Index of Sexual Functioning for Women, the Derogatis Interview for Sexual Functioning, and the Female Sexual Function Index. These instruments have met the basic psychometric criteria of reliability and validity.