Frequency of sexual dysfunction in infertile women and its relation to depression and anxiety

Introduction: Infertility leads to a variety of psychological problems. This study examines the prevalence of sexual dysfunction in infertile women and its relation with depression and anxiety in patients referred to the infertility clinic of Vali-e Asr Hospital. Method: In this study, 60 women suffering from primary and secondary infertility referring to the infertility clinic of Vali-e Asr Hospital from February 2014 to February 2015 were studied. Data were collected in forms and Persian language versions of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) were gathered. Results: The average age of the patients in the study was 29.69±5.47 and the average age of their spouses was 33.24±6.34 (24-65 years of age). Average duration of infertility in these patients was 4.44±3.10. In the present study, 52% of the patients were diagnosed with sexual dysfunction, 52% with anxiety, 46% with varying degrees of stress, and 42% with varying degrees of depression. Depression and stress had the strongest correlation with satisfaction, and anxiety had the strongest correlation with orgasm. Furthermore, anxiety had the strongest correlation with sexual function in patients under study. Only the correlation between stress and satisfaction was statistically significant. Conclusion: According to the results, anxiety occurs more frequently in infertile women, and it can co-occur with female orgasmic dysfunction. Despite the negative effects of mental disorders on sexual function, in this study only the inverse relationship between stress and satisfaction was statistically significant. More comprehensive studies with greater sample sizes can lead to clarification of the relationships between the study variables.