Factors affecting sexual function during menopause: a review of the literature

Objective (s): Sexual functioning is an important component of women''s lives. Several factors can affect sexual function in menopausal women. The objective of this study was to review factors affecting sexual function in menopausal women and to identify challenges they face.

This was a systematic review of the literature (from 2003 to 2013) indexed in Pubmed، Science Direct، Iranmedex، Google Scular، EMBASE، Scopus and the SID databases.

In all 46 articles related to menopause and sexual function were studied. The results indicated that age، estrogen deficiency، kind of menopause (natural or surgical)، chronic medical problems، hysterectomy، sexual partner’s sex problems، the severity of menopause symptoms (except hot flashes)، dystocia history، and health status were among the physical factors affecting sexual function. There were conflicting results regarding the amount of androgens، hormonal therapy، exercise/physical activity، body mass index and obstetric history. In the mental-emotional area، all studies confirmed the impact of depression and anxiety. Social factors، including smoking، the quality of relationship with husband، sexual partner’s loyalty، sexual knowledge، access to health care، a history of divorce or the death of a husband، living apart from a spouse، and a negative understanding of women’s health were found to affect sexual function. However، there were conflicting results regarding the effects of education، occupation، socioeconomic status، alcohol drinking، marital duration، and frequency of sexual intercourse.

Several factors affect sexual function in menopausal women. Early recognition of these factors (physical، mental-emotional، and social) factors might help to improve women’s health.