Background: Female sexual dysfunction is vastly under-recognized but has been previously described in chronic disease states. Sexual dysfunction in male patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is well described, but not in females.
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in women with OSA.
Methods: We studied 21 consecutive pre-menopausal women with OSA, referred to our sleep lab, and who had a positive study for sleep apnea (respiratory disturbance index (RDI) > 5), and 11 healthy pre-menopausal women were included as the control group. Subjects were administered the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire and a mood scale-Profile of Mood States.
Results: Of the study group, 11 women (52.4%) had FSFI scores in the poor range (<23) as compared to the control group, in which none of the women (0%) had FSFI scores in the poor range (<23). Negative mood domain scores were not different in patients with poor FSFI compared to patients with normal FSFI scores. There was no correlation between obesity, severity of sleep apnea, or mood disorders on overall scores of sexual dysfunction. Among individual domains, there was a correlation between RDI and arousal scores.
Conclusion: In our study, we have found that prevalence of sexual dysfunction is high among women with OSA. Physicians should routinely screen and evaluate women with OSA for sexual dysfunction.