The prevalence of sexual dysfunction and its contributors among the women with multiple sclerosis

Sexual dysfunction is one of the main complaints in women with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and it affects different aspects of their lives. We aimed to determine the prevalence of sexual dysfunction among MS patients and address the main contributing factors.

This cross-sectional study was performed on 100 women with MS who were referred to Bu-Ali Sina Hospital in 2020-2021. We completed a 19-item Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire for each participant. We also collected demographic data. Patients were categorized based on their disability index Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) by a neurology specialist. Data were analyzed using SPSS 25 software. A significance level of less than 0.05 was considered.

The mean age of study participants was 37.4 ± 7.8 years. We observed a negative significant correlation between EDSS and FSFI score (r=-0.371, P-value = 0.001). The correlation between FSFI score and age (r= -0.371, P-value = 0.001), parity (r= -0.322, P-value = 0.001), and disease duration (r= -0.371, P-value < 0.001) was also statistically significant. The mean of FSFI in the patients with university graduation was 25.0 ± 5.3, while it was 22.2 ± 6.4 and 20.1 ± 8.0 in diploma and less than diploma groups, respectively (P-value < 0.05). In linear regression, age, parity, length of disease and education level (just less than diploma and university graduated) as independent variables had a significant relationship with FSFI score (P < 0.05).

The prevalence of sexual dysfunction among Iranian women who were suffering from MS was pretty high. Older age groups, less educated, and more disabled patients were addressed as more at-risk groups of impaired sexual function.