Selected aspects of the sexual functioning of women - preliminary studies

Sexology is a field of study to which too little attention has been paid over the years. It is still regarded as relatively new and is constantly expanding. Undoubtedly, sexual health affects a person's overall heath, influencing not only the development of a person's personality, but also their social communication skills and ability to love. Sexuality, in turn, is also related to reproductive health and mental well-being. The objective of the study was to evaluate female sexual functioning taking into account sociodemographic factors.

333 women aged 20-65 years were enrolled in the study. The anonymous online Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire was distributed via social media. It was enriched with sociodemographic questions and selected questions related to gynaecology (age of first menstruation, treatment). In the descriptive analysis, the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test was used to assess differences in a single trait between 2 groups of women. However, the correlation between the 2 variables was calculated using Spearman's R correlation coefficient.

The highest scores were noted in the domain of sexual-related pain (6) - average of 4.94 pts, and sexual satisfaction (5) - average of 4.77 pts. The lowest scores were observed in the domain of arousal (2) - average of 4.34 pts, and desire (1) - average of 3.5 pts. A slightly higher rate of women with possible sexual dysfunction was reported in rural areas - 31 women (33.3%), and in urban areas - 75 women (31.3%). The highest rates of women with possible sexual dysfunction (score ≤ 26 pts) were reported among women with obesity - 21 (44.7%) and overweight - 31 (31.0%), while the lowest rate was recorded in women with normal body mass index (BMI) - 51 (29.0%).

There is a statistical relationship between demographics such as age and female sexuality. Age was in low correlation with the results of domains such as desire, arousal, lubrication, and overall sexual functioning. There was a statistical relationship between BMI and the arousal domain, which remained in low correlation with each other. There was no statistical relationship between demographics such as place of residence and women's sexuality. Body mass index did not statistically affect domains such as desire, lubrication, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, sexual pain complaints, and general sexual functioning.