|
Hormonal Contraceptives Linked to Female Sexual
Dysfunction
Reported May 07, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Women taking hormonal contraceptives were at
highest risk of Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD), while women taking
non-hormonal contraceptives were at lowest risk for FSD -- lower than women
not using any contraceptive.
"Sexual problems can have a negative impact on both quality of life and
emotional well-being, regardless of age," researcher Dr. Lisa-Maria
Wallwiener of the University of Heidelberg, Germany, was quoted as saying. "FSD
is a very common disorder, with an estimated prevalence of about two in five
women having at least one sexual dysfunction, and the most common complaint
appearing to be low desire."
"The causes of FSD are multifunctional and in recent years the possible role
of hormonal contraception has been discussed," fellow researchers Drs.
Christian and Markus Wallwiener, University of Tuebingen, Germany, were
quoted as saying. "Women tend to be aware that sexual dysfunction is often
influenced by various factors such as stress and relationships, but our
study has shown it might also be influenced by exogenous hormone
application."
A total of 1,046 women were included in the study, representing roughly 2.5
percent of the female medical student population in Germany. They completed
questionnaires designed to identify problems with sexual function, as well
as other lifestyle factors including desire for children, pregnancy and
whether they were smokers. In the six months prior to the study, 87.4
percent had used contraceptives, and 97.3 percent had been sexually active
within the previous four weeks.
Of the participants, 32.4 percent were considered at risk for FSD: 5.8
percent at high risk for hypoactive sexual desire disorder, 1 percent for
arousal disorder, 1.2 percent for decreased lubrication, 8.7 percent for
orgasm disorder, 2.6 percent for satisfaction problems, and 1.1 percent for
pain.
The participants were then divided into four subgroups of oral hormonal
contraception (OC), non-oral hormonal contraception (NOHC), non-hormonal
contraception (NHC), and no contraception (NC).
The group with the highest sexual function score and lowest risk for FSD was
NHC (31.0), followed by NC (29.5) and OC (28.3), with NOHC (27.4) at highest
risk. For desire and arousal, both OC and NOHC groups were at highest risk
for FSD.
"In future research it would be interesting to see if there is a difference
between the dosage of estrogen and the various synthetic progestins used in
hormonal contraceptives in terms of an impact on female sexual function,"
study researcher Dr. Harald Seeger, also of University of Tuebingen,
Germany, was quoted as saying. "We would also urge some caution in
interpretation of our present results and would like to highlight that this
type of study cannot demonstrate causality but rather association and there
might exist a multitude of factors that have an impact on female sexual
function."
SOURCE: Journal of Sexual Medicine, May 4, 2010 |
