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Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Obesity and Associated Factors

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Abstract

This study aims to examine the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with obesity and factors associated with sexual dysfunction. The study was conducted with the participation of 99 women who had body-mass index (BMI) equaling 30 kg/m2 and above and attended the Diet Polyclinic of Kocaeli Reproductive Health and Family Planning Center, Turkey, from July to September of 2017. The control group consisted of 92 women who had BMI below 30 kg/m2 and socio-demographic characteristics akin to those of the case group and applied to the reproductive health and family planning center at above dates. Data were collected through the personal information form and the index of female sexual function (IFSF). For the analysis of data, descriptive statistics, Chi squared test, Fisher’s exact test and t test were used. In the study, 68.7% of the women with obesity had sexual dysfunction. Means of scores obtained by women with obesity from the overall IFSF and its sub-scales, namely, sexual intercourse quality, lubrication, sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, orgasmic function, clitoral sensitivity, were significantly lower than those of the control group (p < 0.05). Additionally, sexual dysfunction was more prevalent in women who were aged 50 years and above, were primary school graduates, perceived their income levels as medium and whose age of marriage was 19 and below, duration of marriage was 11 years and above, number of pregnancies was 2 and above and number of births was 2 and above (p < 0.05). The study recommends that sexual assessments on women with obesity should be carried out by all healthcare professionals. For the best outcome, the study show that a holistic approach is important in the evaluation of sexual life and healthcare services.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Science Faculty, Bandırma Onyedi Eylul University, Kurtuluş Cad. No: 98 Bandırma, Balıkesir, Turkey

    Yılda Arzu Aba & Dilek Avcı

  2. Health Science Faculty, Kocaeli University, İzmit, Turkey

    Resmiye Ozdilek & Hatice Acar Bektas

  3. Health Science Faculty, Yozgat Bozok University, Yozgat, Turkey

    Figen Alp Yılmaz

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  1. Yılda Arzu Aba
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  2. Dilek Avcı
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  3. Resmiye Ozdilek
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  4. Figen Alp Yılmaz
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  5. Hatice Acar Bektas
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All authors took part in the design of the study and were responsible for the supervision of data collection as well as the analysis of data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Yılda Arzu Aba.

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Aba, Y.A., Avcı, D., Ozdilek, R. et al. Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction in Women with Obesity and Associated Factors. Sex Disabil 39, 543–554 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11195-020-09672-x

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