Prevalence and patterns of female sexual dysfunction among overweight and obese premenopausal women in Upper Egypt; a cross sectional study

Objective: Obesity is a growing public health concern. Many reports link obesity to female sexuality. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence and patterns of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) among overweight and obese premenopausal women in Beni-Suef, Egypt. Study design: A cross sectional study. Setting: Beni-Suef, Egypt. Subjects and methods: 150 premenopausal non-pregnant married women were enrolled for the study. Socio-demographic characteristics and obstetric history were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Sexual dysfunction was assessed using the Arabic version of female sexual function index (ArFSFI). Results: The mean age of the participating women was 31.2 ± 7.3 years and the mean BMI was 27.5 ± 1.9 kg/m2. Circumcision was reported by 59.3% of women. Precisely, 42 (28%) of women had FSD. Pain, lubrication and arousal were the most common reported problems 69.3%, 53.3% and 52%, respectively. Obese women were more likely to have desire, arousal and lubrication problems compared to the overweight. FSFI total score correlated negatively with age of women, marriage duration and parity (p < 0.05), but did not correlate with BMI (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Problems in pain, lubrication and arousal were the most common patterns of sexual dysfunction among overweight Egyptian women. Further research over the effect of certain interventional programs on FSD should be considered.