Is the sexual performance of obese women different? A narrative review study

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. candidate of Reproductive Medicine, Student Research Committee, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Midwifery, Midwifery and Reproductive Health Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

3 Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Surgery Specialist and Gastrointestinal (colorectal) Surgery Fellowship, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

4 Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Introduction: Considering the increasing prevalence of obesity and the importance of examining the relationship between sexual dysfunction and obesity in women and the need for systematic reviews that summarize the results of similar studies, the present study was systematically conducted with aim to determine sexual performance in women with obesity using the questionnaire of the female sexual function index (FSFI). 
Methods: In this systematic review, based on the PRISMA checklist, a literature review was conducted with a systematic approach in the field of examining sexual function in obese women using the FSFI questionnaire. In this regard, a systematic review was conducted in Web of Science, PubMed, MEDLINE, etc. databases. The keywords that were selected included sexual function, obesity, and women. In this systematic review, all English and Persian observational articles from the inception to 2022 were used.
Results: In this study, 761 articles were initially extracted from the investigated databases and sources, and finally, five published articles met the criteria for entering this systematic review. Among the articles, four articles were in English and 1 article was in Persian. In these studies, the sexual performance scores obtained from the obese group were evaluated as a total score, sexual desire, sexual arousal, vaginal moisture, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, and pain. As this review was conducted with the aim of determining sexual function in obese women using the FSFI questionnaire, in most studies, a decrease in scores of the questionnaire and in different areas of sexual function was observed.
Conclusion: According to the results of most studies examined in this systematic review, sexual dysfunctional in obese women is high. Therefore, it is recommended to evaluate the sexual function in obese people in order to identify and treat people who need intervention. 

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Fuchs A, Dulska A, Drosdzol-Cop A. Is weight just a number? Relationship between overweight, obesity and domains of sexual functioning among young women. Ginekologia Polska 2020; 91(10):595-9.
  2. Rozjabek H, Fastenau J, LaPrade A, Sternbach N. Adult obesity and health-related quality of life, patient activation, work productivity, and weight loss behaviors in the United States. Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity: targets and therapy 2020; 13:2049.
  3. Rostami Dovom M, Ramezani Tehrani F. A Review of the Relationship between Obesity and Some Sexual Dysfunction in Men and Women. Iranian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism 2020; 21(5):319-28.
  4. Starrs AM, Anderson R. Definitions and debates: sexual health and sexual rights. The Brown Journal of World Affairs 2016; 22(2):7-23.
  5. Fakhri A, Pakpour AH, Burri A, Morshedi H, Zeidi IM. The Female Sexual Function Index: translation and validation of an Iranian version. The journal of sexual medicine 2012; 9(2):514-23.
  6. 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. Journal of sex & marital therapy 2000; 26(2):191-208.
  7. Sand M, Rosen R, Meston C, Brotto LA. The female sexual function index (FSFI): a potential “gold standard” measure for assessing therapeutically-induced change in female sexual function. Fertility and Sterility 2009; 92(3):S129.
  8. Dadgar S, Karimi FZ, Bakhshi M, Abdollahi M, Rahimzadeh Borj F. Assessment of sexual dysfunction and its related factors in pregnant women referred to Mashhad health centers (2017-2018). Iran J Obstet Gynecol Infertil 2018; 21(8):22-9.
  9. Maleki-Saghooni N, Heidarian Miri H, Karimi FZ, Mirteimouri M. The effect of systemic lupus erythematosus on women's sexual function: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Iran J Obstet Gynecol Infertil 2018; 21(7):86-96.
  10. Karimi FZ, Dadgar S, Abdollahi M, Norouzi Z. Influence of rheumatoid arthritis on women's sexual function: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Iran J Obstet Gynecol Infertil 2019; 22(8):74-84.
  11. Sánchez-Sánchez B, Navarro-Brazález B, Arranz-Martín B, Sánchez-Méndez Ó, de la Rosa-Díaz I, Torres-Lacomba M. The female sexual function index: Transculturally adaptation and psychometric validation in Spanish women. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020; 17(3):994.
  12. Karimi A, Dadgar S, Afiat M, Rahimi N. The effect of sexual health education on couples’ sexual satisfaction. Iran J Obstet Gynecol Infertil 2013; 15(42):23-30.
  13. Erik von Elm M, Altman DG, Egger M, Pocock SJ, Gøtzsche PC, Vandenbroucke JP. The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. Ann Intern Med 2007; 147(8):573.
  14. Karimi FZ, Miri HH, Salehi F, Maleki-Saghooni N, Anbaran ZK, Amiri-Farahani L. The Relationship Between Obesity and Sexual Function in Iranian Women. Zahedan Journal of Research in Medical Sciences 2020; 22(3).
  15. Assimakopoulos K, Panayiotopoulos S, Iconomou G, Karaivazoglou K, Matzaroglou C, Vagenas K, et al. Assessing sexual function in obese women preparing for bariatric surgery. Obesity surgery 2006; 16(8):1087-91.
  16. Faridi H, Najar S, Javadnoori M. The relationship between body mass index and women sexual function. Iran J Obstet Gynecol Infertil 2013; 16(74).
  17. Moore RH, Sarwer DB, Lavenberg JA, Lane IB, Evans JL, Volger S, et al. Relationship between sexual function and quality of life in obese persons seeking weight reduction. Obesity 2013; 21(10):1966-74.
  18. Bronner G, Elran E, Golomb J, Korczyn A. Female sexuality in multiple sclerosis: the multidimensional nature of the problem and the intervention. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica 2010; 121(5):289-301.
  19. Yazdznpanahi Z, Beygi Z, Akbarzadeh M, Zare N. Investigating the relationships between obesity and sexual function and its components. Shiraz E-Medical Journal 2016; 17(9).
  20. Carrilho PJ, Vivacqua CA, Godoy EP, Bruno SS, Brígido AR, Barros FC, et al. Sexual dysfunction in obese women is more affected by psychological domains than that of non-obese. Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia 2015; 37:552-8.
  21. Erenel AŞ, Kılınc FN. Does obesity increase sexual dysfunction in women?. Sexuality and Disability 2013; 31:53-62.
  22. Yencilek F, Attar R, Erol B, Narin R, Aydın H, Karateke A, et al. Factors affecting sexual function in premenopausal age women with type 2 diabetes: a comprehensive study. Fertility and sterility 2010; 94(5):1840-3.
  23. Marziyeh R, Hoda Ahmari T, Esmat J, Ashraf K, Mahdi N. Association of body mass index with sexual dysfunction in women referred to health centers of Qom city, 2010, Iran.
  24. Huang AJ, Stewart AL, Hernandez AL, Shen H, Subak LL. Sexual function among overweight and obese women with urinary incontinence in a randomized controlled trial of an intensive behavioral weight loss intervention. The Journal of urology 2009; 181(5):2235-42.
  25. Larsen SH, Wagner G, Heitmann BL. Sexual function and obesity. International journal of obesity 2007; 31(8):1189-98.
  26. Kolotkin RL, Binks M, Crosby RD, Østbye T, Gress RE, Adams TD. Obesity and sexual quality of life. Obesity 2006; 14(3):472-9.
  27. Mozafari M, Khajavikhan J, Jaafarpour M, Khani A, Direkvand-Moghadam A, Najafi F. Association of body weight and female sexual dysfunction: a case control study. Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal 2015; 17(1).
  28. Fatemi SS, Taghavi SM. Evaluation of sexual function in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes and Vascular Disease Research 2009; 6(1):38-9.
The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility
Volume 26, Issue 10
December 2023
Pages 121-130

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics