Factors influencing sexual functions in Turkish female patients with migraine

Recent studies have shown a more frequent occurrence of sexual dysfunction in patients with headache. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of demographic and clinical characteristics and psychiatric symptoms on sexual dysfunction in Turkish female patients with migraine.

In all, 18 sexually active patients with episodic migraine (EM), 12 patients with chronic migraine (CM), and 22 healthy controls of similar age were enrolled in the study. A numeric rating scale was administered to assess pain intensity. The psychiatric symptoms and sexual function of all of the participants were evaluated using the Beck depression and anxiety scales and the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS).

The mean GRISS subscale scores did not differ significantly between the migraine groups and the control group (all p values <0.05). A positive correlation was found between the duration of headache and GRISS subscales of noncommunication, dissatisfaction, vaginismus, and anorgasmia in EM patients. In addition, there was a negative correlation with the infrequency and avoidance subscales. No correlation was detected between the GRISS subscale scores and the demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients with CM, with the exception of the level of education. Higher pain intensity scores and the presence of anxiety or depression among the EM and CM patients significantly affected all of the subscale scores of the sexual function inventory.

Although there was no relationship between migraine chronicity and sexual dysfunction, our data indicated that patient demographic characteristics, greater pain severity, and comorbidities of depression or anxiety were associated with greater sexual dysfunction among patients with EM and CM.