Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Sexual dysfunction in female subjects with beta-thalassemia minor

International Journal of Impotence Research volume 32, pages 358–362 (2020)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Beta thalassemia minor (BTM) is a hereditary disease caused by defective globin synthesis and it is frequently asymptomatic or only mildly anemic. Female sexual dysfunction affects 21–41% of women worldwide. In this study we aimed to investigate female sexual dysfunction in subjects with BTM. A total of 183 subjects who had regular sexual intercourse with marital partners were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The study group was comprised of 87 subjects with BTM and the control group included 96 healthy subjects. Hemoglobin electrophoresis were performed in all subjects, and all participants were assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire and the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX). The FSFI scores of the study group were significantly lower than in the control group (19.1 ± 9.6 vs. 25.2 ± 6.6, p < 0.001). Conversely, the ASEX scores of the study group were higher than in the control group (15.2 ± 41 vs. 13.5 ± 6.1, p = 0.0085). Sexual functions were poor in subjects with BTM in this study and we conclude that certain metabolic diseases associated with BTM, such as insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia, may be the main causes of sexual dysfunctions in these subjects.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Galanello R, Origa R. Beta-thalassemia. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2010;21:5–11.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Kalleas C, Anagnostopoulos K, Sinopoulou K, Delaki E, Margaritis D, Bourikas G, et al. Phenotype and genotype frequency of beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease carriers in Halkidiki, Northern Greece. Hemoglobin. 2012;36:64–72.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. World Health Organization. Sexual and reproductive health, working definitions. http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/sexual_health/sh_definitions/en/. Accessed 11 Jul 2019.

  4. McCool ME, Zuelke A, Theurich MA, Knuettel H, Ricci C, Apfelbacher C. Prevalence of female sexual dysfunction among premenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Sex Med Rev. 2016;4:197–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Erol B, Tefekli A, Sanli O, Ziylan O, Armagan A, Kendirci M, et al. Does sexual dysfunction correlate with deterioration of somatic sensory system in diabetic women? Int J Impot Res. 2003;15:198–202.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Pontiroli AE, Cortelazzi D, Morabito A. Female sexual dysfunction and diabetes: a systematic review and metaanalysis. J Sex Med. 2013;10:1044–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Krysiak R, Drosdzol-Cop A, Skrzypulec-Plinta V, Okopień B. Sexual functioning and depressive symptoms in women with diabetes and prediabetes receiving metformin therapy: a pilot study. Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2017;125:42–8.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Maseroli E, Scavello I, Vignozzi L. Cardiometabolic risk and female sexuality-Part I. Risk factors and potential pathophysiological underpinnings for female vasculogenic sexual dysfunction syndromes. Sex Med Rev. 2018;6:508–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sxmr.2018.02.009.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Duncan LE, Lewis C, Jenkins P, Pearson TA. Does hypertension and its pharmacotherapy affect the quality of sexual function in women? Am J Hypertens. 2000;13:640–7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Baldassarre M, Alvisi S, Mancini I, Moscatiello S, Marchesini G, Seracchioli R, et al. Impaired lipid profile is a risk factor for the development of sexual dysfunction in women. J Sex Med. 2016;13:46–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Gozashti MH, Hasanzadeh A, Mashrouteh M. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with minor beta thalassemia and its related factors: a cross-sectional study. J Diabetes Metab Disord. 2014;13:108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Kırım S, Keşkek ŞÖ, Turhan A, Saler T. Is β-thalassaemia minor associated with metabolic disorder? Med Princ Pract. 2014;23:421–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Rosen C, Brown J, Heiman S, Leiblum C, Meston R, Shabsigh D, et al. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI): a multidimensional self-report instrument for the assessment of female sexual function. J Sex Marital Ther. 2000;26:191–208.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. McGahuey CA, Gelenberg AJ, Laukes CA, Moreno FA, Delgado PL, McKnight KM, et al. The Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX): reliability and validity. J Sex Marital Ther. 2000;26:25–40.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Aygin D, Eti Aslan F. The Turkish adaptation of The Female Sexual Function Index, Turkey clinics. J Med. 2005;25:393–9.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Soykan A. The reliability and validity of Arizona sexual experiences scale in Turkish ESRD patients undergoing hemodialysis. Int J Impot Res. 2004;16:531–4. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijir.3901249.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Biddle AK, West SL, D’Aloisio AA, Wheeler SB, Borisov NN, Thorp J. Hypoactive sexual desire disorder in postmenopausal women: quality of life and health burden. Value Health. 2009;12:763–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Laumann EO, Nicolosi A, Glasser DB, Paik A, Gingell C, Moreira E, et al. Sexual problems among women and men aged 40-80 y: prevalence and correlates identified in the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors. Int J Impot Res. 2005;17:39–57.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Keşkek SO, Kirim S, Turhan A, Turhan FG. Depression in subjects with beta-thalassemia minor. Ann Hematol. 2013;92:1611–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Ozturk S, Sut HK, Kucuk L. Examination of sexual functions and depressive symptoms among infertile and fertile women. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35:1355–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Tong Peter CY, Ng Maggie CY, Ho Vhung S, So Wing Y, Li June KY, Lam Chris WK, et al. C-reactive protein and Insulin resistance in subject with thalassemia minor and a family history of diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2002;25:1480–1.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Zsoldos M, Pajor A, Pusztafalvi H. [Relation between sexual dysfunction and metabolic syndrome]. Orv Hetil. 2019;160:98–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Maseroli E, Fanni E, Cipriani S, Scavello I, Pampaloni F, Battaglia C, et al. Cardiometabolic risk and female sexuality: focus on clitoral vascular resistance. J Sex Med. 2016;13:1651–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Ozcan S, Sahin Nevin H, Bilgic D, Yilmaz Sema D. Is sexual dysfunction associated with diabetes control and related factors in women with diabetes. Sex Disabil. 2011;29:251–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Esposito K, Maiorino MI, Bellastella G, Giugliano F, Romano M, Giugliano D. Determinants of female sexual dysfunction in type 2 diabetes. Int J Impot Res. 2010;22:179–84.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Kizilay F, Gali HE, Serefoglu EC. Diabetes and sexuality. Sex Med Rev. 2017;5:45–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sxmr.2016.07.002.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Kolodny RC. Sexual dysfunction in diabetic females. Diabetes. 1971;20:557–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Von Bibra H, Saha S, Hapfelmeier A, Müller G, Schwarz PEH. Impact of the triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and the hypertriglyceremic-waist phenotype to predict the metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Horm Metab Res. 2017;49:542–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Esposito K, Ciotola M, Maiorino MI, Giugliano F, Autorino R, De Sio M, et al. Hyperlipidemia and sexual function in premenopausal women. J Sex Med. 2009;6:1696–703.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Alaaddin Keykubat University School of Medicine, Alanya, Turkey

    Şakir Özgür Keşkek

  2. Department of Internal Medicine, City Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey

    Derya Demirtaş

  3. Department of Gynecology, City Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey

    Gülsüm Uysal

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, City Training and Research Hospital, Adana, Turkey

    Enes Başaran

Authors
  1. Şakir Özgür Keşkek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Derya Demirtaş
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gülsüm Uysal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Enes Başaran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Şakir Özgür Keşkek.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Keşkek, Ş.Ö., Demirtaş, D., Uysal, G. et al. Sexual dysfunction in female subjects with beta-thalassemia minor. Int J Impot Res 32, 358–362 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-020-0283-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-020-0283-z

Search

Advanced search

Quick links