Sexual function, menopause and hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Area of Science:

• Reproductive medicine
• Women's health
• Sexual health

Background:

• Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is a common concern affecting women's quality of life.
• Menopause significantly impacts sexual function, with varying effects across different domains.
• Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a potential intervention for menopausal symptoms, including sexual dysfunction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prevalence of FSD in premenopausal and postmenopausal women.
• To assess the impact of menopause and HRT on various aspects of female sexual function.
• To determine the relationship between age and sexual activity in middle-aged women.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 231 Colombian women aged 40-62.
• Self-questionnaire used to assess sexual function across five domains: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and pain.
• Statistical analysis included chi-squared tests and multivariate regression.

Main Results:

• Sexual dysfunction was most prevalent in desire (38.1%) and arousal (25%).
• Menopause significantly impacted lubrication and pain domains.
• HRT showed statistically significant improvements in orgasm, lubrication, and pain domains, with higher sexual satisfaction in postmenopausal women using HRT.
• Age negatively influenced most sexual function domains.

Conclusions:

• Menopause negatively affects certain domains of female sexual function.
• HRT offers benefits for specific sexual function domains during menopause but does not improve desire or arousal.
• A negative association exists between age and female sexual response in middle-aged women.