Sexual functioning and depressive symptoms in women with various types of prediabetes - a pilot study

Abstract

Introduction: No previous study has investigated sexual functioning in prediabetic women.

Aim: This study was aimed at investigating sexual function in young women with various types of prediabetes.

Methods: The study included four groups of women: women with isolated impaired fasting glucose (Group A; n=19), isolated impaired glucose tolerance (Group B; n=18), presence of both impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance (Group C; n=18), as well as matched healthy controls (Group D; n=19). All participants completed questionnaires evaluating sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index - FSFI) and the presence and severity of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition - BDI-II).

Results: The total FSFI and BDI-II scores were lower in Group C than in the remaining groups of women, while the total FSFI score was lower in Groups A and B than in Group D. Patients with both impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance had lower scores in all domains (sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, sexual satisfaction and dyspareunia). Compared to Group D, Group A was characterized by lower domain scores for sexual desire and sexual satisfaction, while Group B by lower domain scores for desire, arousal and orgasm. In all groups of prediabetic women, the overall FSFI score correlated negatively with the degree of insulin resistance and weakly with the total BDI-II score.

Conclusions: Impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance may disturb sexual functioning and induce depressive symptoms.

Keywords: depressive symptoms; impaired fasting glucose; impaired glucose tolerance; sexual functioning.