Sexual dysfunction among women of reproductive age: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Available statistics show a high prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) among women worldwide. Various factors affect SD among women of reproductive age.

Objective: To evaluate studies on the prevalence and determinants of SD in different parts of the world.

Materials and methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus and ProQuest databases were systematically reviewed during 2000-2019. All original articles were reviewed. The STROBE checklist was used to evaluate the quality of the papers. I ${}^2$ was calculated to determine heterogeneity. Fixed effects and/or random-effects models were applied to estimate the pooled prevalence. Meta-regression analysis was also performed to identify the sources of heterogeneity.

Results: Based on the results of the meta-analysis (21 eligible studies), the pooled prevalence with 95% confidence interval of SD was estimated at 50.75% (41.73-59.78). The prevalence of pain and disorders in arousal, sexual desire, lubrication, orgasm, and sexual satisfaction were calculated (39.08%, 48.21%, 50.70%, 37.60%, 40.16%, and 35.02%, respectively). Also, age, depression, low education level, increased duration of the marriage, and the presence of chronic diseases were the highest risk factors for SD.

Conclusion: The prevalence of SD in women of reproductive age varies in different countries. Considering the importance of female SD, further studies are needed to facilitate the development of relevant educational interventions.

Keywords: Reproductive age.; Women; Sexual dysfunction.

Figure 1

Search Flowchart.

Figure 2

Forest plot of total sexual dysfunction prevalence. Each line segment indicates a 95% confidence interval. Diamond mark illustrates the pooled estimate and 95% confidence interval.

Figure 3

Pooled prevalence estimate of domains sexual dysfunction based on the random effects model. The diamond mark illustrates the pooled estimate for each domain.

Figure 4

The relationship of the prevalence of sexual dysfunction with sample size (A) and the study publication year (B) based on meta-regression. The size of the circles shows the sample size. The prevalence rate of sexual dysfunction had no significant relationship with the study year or sample size. Appendix: Forest plot for the prevalence of different domains in sexual dysfunction including Desire, Arousal, Lubrication, Orgasm, Satisfaction, and Pain. Each line segment indicates a 95% confidence interval. Diamond mark illustrates the pooled estimate and 95% confidence interval.