Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Hypertension: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Health
• Women's Health
• Sexual Medicine

Background:

• Hypertension is a prevalent condition affecting millions of women globally.
• Sexual dysfunction is a common concern impacting quality of life.
• The relationship between hypertension and sexual dysfunction in women requires further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in hypertensive women.
• To compare the rates of sexual dysfunction between women with and without hypertension.
• To investigate the association between age and sexual dysfunction risk in hypertensive women.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review was conducted across multiple databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, IBECS, Lilacs).
• Meta-analysis was performed to compare sexual dysfunction between hypertensive and normotensive women, assessing heterogeneity using the I² test.
• Meta-regression was used to explore the relationship between sexual dysfunction risk and age in hypertensive women.

Main Results:

• Eleven articles were included, with five contributing to the meta-analysis (1057 hypertensive, 715 normotensive women).
• Prevalence of sexual dysfunction varied widely (14.1%–90.1%) across studies.
• Hypertensive women had a significantly higher risk of sexual dysfunction (Risk Ratio = 1.81, 95% CI 1.10–2.97), with high heterogeneity (I² =92.6%).
• A significant association was found between increased sexual dysfunction risk and age in hypertensive women (b = 0.0333).

Conclusions:

• Hypertension is associated with a significantly increased risk of sexual dysfunction in women.
• Age is a contributing factor to sexual dysfunction in hypertensive women.
• Methodological limitations and small sample sizes in existing studies necessitate further high-quality research in this field.