Frequency of Sexual Dysfunction and Associated Causes in Female Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS). This study was conducted to determine the frequency of sexual dysfunction and its types in women with MS and identifying the related factors.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in female patients
(n= 114) attending an outpatient MS clinic in Sari, Iran 2018. The participants included female married patients with no history of relapse and pulse therapy during the past three months, no history of hepatic problem, no history of pschyciateric diseases and pschyciateric medications. Information was collected using the Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI). Data analysis was done in SPSS V16 applying correlation test.

All patients (100%) reported sexual dysfunction, including painful intercourse (93%), decreased lubrication (80.7%), lack of arousal (43.9%), lack of desire (38%), difficulty in reaching orgasm (36.8%), and lack of satisfaction (36.8%). In this study, 63.1% of the patients experienced mild depression. Significant associations were seen between depression (P=0.007), sphincter problems (P=0.02), and sexual dysfunction.

Awareness on the high frequency of sexual dysfunction in MS patients helps to eliminate the underlying causes and improving the quality of life in these patients.