Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2021 Feb;115(2):474-482.
doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2020.08.1396. Epub 2020 Oct 12.

Lifestyle modifications alone or combined with hormonal contraceptives improve sexual dysfunction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Marissa Steinberg Weiss  1 , Andrea Hsu Roe  2 , Kelly C Allison  3 , William C Dodson  4 , Penny M Kris-Etherton  5 , Allen R Kunselman  6 , Christy M Stetter  6 , Nancy I Williams  7 , Carol L Gnatuk  4 , Stepanie J Estes  4 , David B Sarwer  8 , Christos Coutifaris  1 , Richard S Legro  9 , Anuja Dokras  10
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Lifestyle modifications alone or combined with hormonal contraceptives improve sexual dysfunction in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Marissa Steinberg Weiss et al. Fertil Steril. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Objective: To describe the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction in a well-defined polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) population, and to assess the impact of common PCOS treatments on sexual function.

Design: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial, oral contraceptive pills and weight loss in PCOS.

Setting: Two academic medical centers.

Patients: Women with PCOS (N = 114) defined by the Rotterdam criteria.

Interventions: Continuous oral contraceptive pill (OCP) or intensive lifestyle modification (Lifestyle) or the combination (Combined) for 16 weeks.

Main outcome measures: Change in Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R) scores after 16 weeks.

Results: There was no change in total FSFI or FSDS-R score in any treatment group; however, an increase in the FSFI desire domain subscore was observed in the Lifestyle and Combined treatments, indicating improved sexual desire over the 16-week period. Overall, 33 participants (28.9%) met criteria for sexual dysfunction by FSFI criteria (baseline score ≤26.55). Among this group, FSFI score improved after 16 weeks of Lifestyle and Combined treatments. There was no change in prevalence of sexual dysfunction in treatment groups at 16 weeks. Use of OCPs did not alter FSFI scores.

Conclusion(s): Female sexual dysfunction is highly prevalent among women with PCOS. Our findings suggest that common treatments for PCOS, including intensive lifestyle modification and the combination of intensive lifestyle modification and OCPs, have the potential to improve sexual function in these women; the mechanism for these improvements is likely multifactorial.

Clinical trial registration number: NCT00704912.

Keywords: Polycystic ovary syndrome; female sexual dysfunction; lifestyle modification; oral contraceptive pills.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: None

Comment in

References

    1. Lizneva D, Kirubakaran R, Mykhalchenko K, Suturina L, Chernukha G, Diamond MP, et al. Phenotypes and body mass in women with polycystic ovary syndrome identified in referral versus unselected populations: systematic review and meta-analysis. Fertil Steril 2016;106:1510–20. - PubMed
    1. Shifren JL, Monz BU, Russo PA, Segreti A, Johannes CB. Sexual problems and distress in united states women: Prevalence and correlates. Obstet Gynecol 2008;112:970–8. - PubMed
    1. Rellini AH, Stratton N, Tonani S, Santamaria V, Brambilla E, Nappi RE. Differences in sexual desire between women with clinical versus biochemical signs of hyperandrogenism in polycystic ovarian syndrome. Horm Behav 2013;63:65–71. - PubMed
    1. Veras AB, Bruno R V., De Avila MAP, Nardi AE. Sexual dysfunction in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome: Clinical and hormonal correlations. Compr Psychiatry 2011;52:486–9. - PubMed
    1. Ercan CM, Coksuer H, Aydogan U, Alanbay I, Keskin U, Karasahin KE, et al. Sexual dysfunction assessment and hormonal correlations in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome. Int J Impot Res 2013;25:127–32. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Associated data