Pain associated to endometriosis: effects on female health and quality of sexual function. Observational study and review of the literature.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36557/2674-8169.2025v7n7p1699-1713Keywords:
Endometriosis; Women's Health; Quality of life; Sexual BehaviorAbstract
Background: Endometriosis is the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, which affects about 15% of women at different stages of their sexual development. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) is a questionnaire recommended to assess female sexual response in six domains: sexual desire, sexual arousal, vaginal lubrication, orgasm, sexual satisfaction, and pain, presents 19 questions that assess sexual function in the last four weeks. Aim: To assess the quality of sexual function in patients with endometriosis under gynaecology outpatient follow-up through the application of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Methods: 422 participants were distributed in the groups: Chronic Pelvic Pain, Endometriosis (EDT) in Ovary, Deep EDT, Deep and Ovary associated EDT and Adherence, investigated sociodemographic characteristics, and applied the questionnaire of Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) to evaluate the sexual function. Statistical analysis was performed by comparing the groups using Student's t test and ANOVA to compare means and Chi-square test to compare categorical variables. Results: The mean age of participants was 37.85±7.38, ranging between 18 and 54 years. The predominant ethnicity was white women, consisting of 63,27% participants, higher education was predominant (74.52%). Statistical significance was observed only in the Pain Domain with p=0.048. In this sample of 422 women, pain was the most common aspect that affects female sexual function, associated to endometriosis. Conclusions: Women with endometriosis complain of pain in relation to sexual function, corroborating data from the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire, which influences several factors on the quality of sexual life.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Magda Rodrigues Leal, Reginaldo Guedes Coelho Lopes, Ana Maria Gomes Pereira, Carla Pagliari
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