Association of Body Mass Index with Sexual Dysfunction in Women Referred to Health Centers of Qom City, 2010, Iran

Satisfactory sexual performance is an important factor for strengthening families and is the source of many innovations in human life that can be affected by many factors. Obesity as a recent epidemic has influenced the global population. Researches have shown that sexual dysfunction is associated with obesity in men, but this association is unclear in women. This study aimed to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and sexual dysfunction in women. In this case-control study of women who referred to the selected health centers of Qom city, 77 persons with sexual dysfunction (score≤28) were compared with 64 healthy and without sexual dysfunction women (score>28) by a standardized questionnaire of sexual function. To determine BMI, height, and weight, and distribution of body fat, waist and hip circumferences were measured. Data were analyzed using statistical tests, such as t-test, chi-square and multiple regression, on the significance level (p<0.05). The mean BMI in case group was 34.1±5.4 and 26±4.4 in the control group, that statistical test showed a significant relationship between BMI and sexual dysfunction (p<0.05). Also, the most dysfunction was observed in the arousal phase in the case group and in the sexual pain phase in the control group (p<0.05). According to the results of this study, obesity affects some aspects of sexual performance in women. Therefore, interventional studies on weight loss in obese women with sexual dysfunction are necessary to reveal the association of obesity with sexual dysfunction.