Source
Departamento Medicina Sur, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Hospital Barros Luco-Trudeau.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The loss of sexuality observed in the climacteric period is difficult to evaluate. An important advance has been the development of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), a test based on the norms of the International Consensus Development Conference on Sexual Female Dysfunctions.
AIM:
To study the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on sexuality, applying the FSFI.
MATERIAL AND METHODS:
The FSFI was applied to 300 healthy women between 45-64 years, sexually active, beneficiaries of the Southern Metropolitan Health Service.
RESULTS:
The mean age of the sample studied was 51 +/- 5 years, 27% were HRT users, 21% had had an hysterectomy and 98% had a stable couple. The total score of the FSFI decreased from 27.3 +/- 5.8 in women between 45 and 49 years of age to 19.3 +/- 7.0 in women between 60 and 64 years (p < 0.01). A significantly better sexuality was observed in HRT users, with FSFI scores of 28.1 +/- 5.5 and 24.6 +/- 6.8 in HRT users and non users, respectively (p < 0.01). Women on HRT obtained a higher score in all of the test domains, especially in lubrication, orgasm and sexual satisfaction.
CONCLUSIONS:
Female sexuality decreases with aging. HRT users have a better sexual function than non users.