Association of body weight with sexual function in women...
Association of body weight with sexual function
in women
K Esposito1, M Ciotola1, F Giugliano3, C Bisogni2, B Schisano1, R Autorino3, L Cobellis2, M De Sio3, N Colacurci2 and D Giugliano1
1.
1Department of Geriatrics and Metabolic Diseases, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
2.
2Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Reproduction, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy
3.
3Division of Urology, University of Naples SUN, Naples, Italy |
ABSTRACT
Sexual difficulties in women appear
to be widespread in society; the relationship between female sexual function and obesity is unclear. This study aimed to investigate
the relationship between body weight, the distribution of body fat and sexual function in women. Fifty-two, otherwise healthy
women with abnormal values of female sexual function index (FSFI) score (
23) were compared with 66 control women (FSFI >23),
matched for age and menopausal status. All women were free from diseases known to affect sexual function. FSFI strongly correlated
with body mass index (BMI) (r=–0.72, P=0.0001), but not with waist-to-hip ratio (r=–0.09,
P=0.48), in women with sexual dysfunction. Of the six sexual function parameters, desire and pain did not correlate
with BMI, while arousal (r=–0.75), lubrication (r=–0.66), orgasm (r=–0.56) and satisfaction
(r=–0.56, all P<0.001) did. FSFI score was significantly lower in overweight women as compared with
normal weight women, while cholesterol and triglyceride levels were higher. On multivariate analysis, both age and BMI explained
about 68% of FSFI variance, with a primacy of BMI over age (ratio 4:1). In conclusion, obesity affects several aspects of
sexuality in otherwise healthy women with sexual dysfunction.
