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. 2022 May;31(5):715-725.
doi: 10.1089/jwh.2021.0255. Epub 2022 Apr 26.

Assessing the Burden of Illness Associated with Acquired Generalized Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

James A Simon  1 , Amod Athavale  2 , Rahul Ravindranath  2 , Nandini Hadker  2 , Amama Sadiq  3 , Michelle Lim-Watson  3 , Laura Williams  3 , Julie Krop  3
Affiliations

Assessing the Burden of Illness Associated with Acquired Generalized Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder

James A Simon et al. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2022 May.

Abstract

Background: Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD), which affects ∼10% of women in the United States, is defined as the persistent or recurrent deficiency/absence of sexual desire accompanied by personal distress. Although HSDD impacts patient quality of life and interpersonal relationships, the disorder often goes unaddressed or untreated. Recent studies of the burden of illness in women with HSDD, especially premenopausal women, are limited. Materials and Methods: A 45-minute web-based survey was designed to investigate the experience of women seeking treatment for HSDD and the impact of this disorder on several psychosocial aspects of women's lives. Women were recruited from an online panel of patients who participated in research studies for compensation. Validated questionnaires assessed sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index) and health-related quality of life (12-Item Short Form Survey [SF-12]), including mental and physical component scores. Results: A total of 530 women, aged ≥18 years, diagnosed with acquired generalized HSDD were included in the study. Premenopausal women indicated greater overall HSDD symptom burden compared with postmenopausal women. Patients with HSDD reported lower SF-12 scores compared with the general population. A multivariable regression analysis demonstrated that psychosocial factors influencing the burden of HSDD, including interference with their relationship with their partner (β = -0.18; p < 0.005), mental and emotional well-being (β = -0.23; p < 0.005), and household and personal activities (β = -0.23; p = 0.02), negatively affected SF-12 mental component scores. Conclusions: HSDD symptom burden was found to be negatively and statistically significantly associated with patients' mental health; the impact was greater among premenopausal women compared with postmenopausal women.

Keywords: female sexual dysfunction; hypoactive sexual desire disorder; mental health; premenopausal; quality of life.

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Conflict of interest statement

J.A.S. has served on advisory boards or has been a consultant for AbbVie, Allergan, AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Amgen, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc., CEEK Enterprises, Covance, Inc., Daré Bioscience, Hologic, Inc., KaNDy Therapeutics Ltd., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, NeRRE Therapeutics Ltd., ObsEva, Radius Health, Sanofi, TherapeuticsMD, and Valeant. He has also served on the speaker's bureau for AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Duchesnay, Novo Nordisk, Shionogi, and Valeant. He has received grants/research funding from AbbVie, Allergan, Agile Therapeutics, Bayer Healthcare LLC, Endoceutics, Inc., GTx, Inc., Hologic, Inc., Myovant Sciences, ObsEva, Palatin Technologies, Symbio Research, TherapeuticsMD, and Viveve Medical. He owns stock in Sermonix.

A.A., R.R., and N.H. are employees of TRINITY, which has conducted research for AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. J.K., A.S., M.L.-W., and L.W. were employees of AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc., at the time of this study.

Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
Impact of HSDD on sexual function (n = 530). Comparisons between premenopausal and postmenopausal women were analyzed using Student's t-tests. (A) Mean and median FSFI total score among all respondents and by menopausal status. Maximum score (perfect sexual functioning) = 36. Scores ≤26.55 indicate female sexual dysfunction. (B) Mean FSFI domain scores among all respondents and by menopausal status. Maximum score (perfect sexual functioning) = 6. For each of the six domains (arousal, desire, orgasm, lubrication, satisfaction, and pain), differences between premenopausal and postmenopausal were statistically significant (all p < 0.001). The difference in overall FSFI score between the two groups was also statistically significant (p < 0.001). FSFI, Female Sexual Function Index; HSDD, hypoactive sexual desire disorder.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
Effect of HSDD on social relationships (n = 530). Comparisons between the groups were analyzed using Student's t-tests with Bonferroni corrections as appropriate. (A) Impact of HSDD on social relationships by age group and menopausal status. *Statistically significantly greater than postmenopausal women. †Statistically significantly greater than the 46–60 age group. ‡Statistically significantly greater than the 61–80 age group. (B) Overall impact of HSDD on partner relationship and relationship strength by age group. *Statistically significantly greater than the 18–45 age group. †Statistically significantly different from zero.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
Effect of HSDD on social relationships (n = 530). Comparisons between the groups were analyzed using Student's t-tests with Bonferroni corrections as appropriate. (A) Impact of HSDD on social relationships by age group and menopausal status. *Statistically significantly greater than postmenopausal women. †Statistically significantly greater than the 46–60 age group. ‡Statistically significantly greater than the 61–80 age group. (B) Overall impact of HSDD on partner relationship and relationship strength by age group. *Statistically significantly greater than the 18–45 age group. †Statistically significantly different from zero.
FIG. 3.
FIG. 3.
Impact of HSDD on (A) mental wellness by menopausal status and (B) daily activities by menopausal status. *Statistically significantly greater than the postmenopausal group. Comparisons between premenopausal and postmenopausal women were analyzed using Student's t-tests.
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