The Relationship between Cardiovascular Disorders on Sexual Function among Postmenopausal Women

Background and Aim : Background: Sexual function could be affected by underlying medical problems.The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between cardiovascular disorders and sexual functionin postmenopausal women.Methods : This is a community-based, descriptive-correlation study of 405 postmenopausal womenresiding in Chalous and Noshahr cities, aged 40 to 65 years old in October, 2013- May, 2014. A multistage,randomized sampling was conducted. The data was acquired through interviews using the Female SexualFunction Index (FSFI) questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire, and was analyzed usingdescriptive and analytical tests such as t-test and multiple linear regression.Results : Among all of the participants, 16.8% were suffering from cardiovascular disorder. Amongsubjects with cardiovascular problems, 75% had female sexual dysfunction (FSD), which is significantlyhigher than those without cardiovascular problems (58.2%)(P=0.009). Scores of arousal (P= 0.000), orgasm(P= 0.018), and satisfaction (P= 0.026), as well as the FSFI total score (P= 0.005), were significantly lowerin subjects with cardiovascular disorders. In domains of arousal (P= 0.030), satisfaction (P= 0.040), andpain (P= 0.044), the scores of those taking antihypertensive medications were significantly lower than thescores of the rest of the subjects. Cardiovascular disorder was a predictive factor for the total score of FSFI(B=-1.723, P=0.026).Conclusion : Cardiovascular disorders could have a negative impact on sexual function in postmenopausalwomen. Therefore, these conditions need to be taken into consideration in order to improve these women’ssexual function.

Keywords:

Cardiovascular disorders , Sexual function , Menopause