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Sexual function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and their hormonal and clinical correlations

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 30, pages 54–61 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) appears to be related to sexual dysfunction, especially if associated with obvious clinical and hormonal signs of hyperandrogenism. The objective of this study was to determine the correlation of PCOS and its hormonal and clinical parameters with sexual function. This prospective, cross-sectional study conducted on 18–45-year-old PCOS women (according to the Rotterdam criteria), who were referred to the Reproductive Endocrinology Research Center, Iran, was invited to participate from January 2012 to December 2015. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) was used to evaluate sexual function, and serum levels of total and free testosterone, androstenedione, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were determined and employed to calculate free androgen index (FAI) values. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the association between sexual dysfunction and independent variables. In all, 783 participated in the study and 492 women fully completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. Of these, 226 (45.75%) women met the criteria for sexual dysfunction. The mean age of women was 24.91 ± 4.90 years. No significant association between having a low score for any FSFI domain and having a low serum total or free testosterone or androstenedione and SHBG level was demonstrated. There was association between FAI > 4.5 and increased sexual function score but it is not significant. Logistic regression analysis showed that there were significant associations between sexual function score and the literacy, alopecia, and infertility. No evidence of associations between low scores for any of the sexual domains evaluated and low serum total and free testosterone levels, but the low literacy, alopecia, and infertility contributed to low sexual function in women with PCOS. The burden of PCOS and sexual dysfunction suggests the need for further attention to this patient population.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to each of the study participants for the substantial time and effort they contributed to this study. The authors also thank the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences and Babol University of Medical Sciences, Iran for the approval of this project.

Author Contributions

F.N.A. and F.R.T. contributed to the project development, data collection, manuscript writing and critical discussion. S.E. and Z.B. contributed to the manuscript writing and critical discussion. M.T. contributed to the laboratory analysis and manuscript writing. F.A. contributed to the project development and manuscript drafting. All authors were involved in the preparation of the manuscript and approved the final manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences (Grant number 390) and Babol University of Medical Sciences (Grant number 9133715).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fatemeh Zahra Infertility and Reproductive Health Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

    Fatemeh Nasiri Amiri, Sedighe Esmailzadeh & Zahra Basirat

  2. Reproductive Endocrinology Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani

  3. Prevention of Metabolic Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Maryam Tohidi

  4. Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Fereidoun Azizi

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  1. Fatemeh Nasiri Amiri
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Correspondence to Fahimeh Ramezani Tehrani.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical approval

The ethical review boards of the Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences and the Babol University of Medical Sciences have approved the study proposal. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Research Committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Nasiri Amiri, F., Ramezani Tehrani, F., Esmailzadeh, S. et al. Sexual function in women with polycystic ovary syndrome and their hormonal and clinical correlations. Int J Impot Res 30, 54–61 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-017-0006-2

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