Sexual dysfunction in infertile Turkish females: prevalence and risk factors

Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for sexual dysfunction in infertile Turkish females.

We interviewed 352 infertile and 301 fertile females in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Tepecik Training and Research Hospital in Izmir, Turkey. The female sexual function index (FSFI) was used to assess the relationship between infertility and female sexual function.

The mean age was similar between the infertile and control groups (29.2±4.3 vs. 28.7±4.0, respectively; p=0.120). The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in infertile females was higher than that in the fertile control group (32.9 vs. 17.2%, p<0.001), and the total FSFI score (26.2±2.5 vs. 28.2±1.7) and the score on each domain of sexual function parameters were significantly lower in the infertile group than in the control group (all p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that a duration of marriage and of infertility ≥3 years (odds ratio [OR] 3.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.75-8.20, p=0.001; OR 3.18, 95% CI 1.54-6.55, p=0.002, respectively) and a history of previous infertility treatment (OR 3.07, 95% CI 1.63-5.76, p<0.001) were risk factors for sexual dysfunction in infertile females.

Female sexual dysfunction was higher in the infertile group than the fertile control group in this Turkish population. Duration of marriage and of infertility ≥3 years and a history of previous infertility treatment were the primary risk factors for sexual dysfunction in infertile females.