High Comorbidity of Gastrointestinal Disorders Among Those Seeking Care for Dyspareunia

Abstract

Dyspareunia, defined as genital pain that occurs before, during, or after sexual intercourse, is the most commonly diagnosed form of female sexual dysfunction. As high as 43% of women experience some form of sexual dysfunction, but the etiology of these conditions is not well understood.¹ Prior research on sexual dysfunction in gastrointestinal (GI) patients has focused primarily on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) alone. ^2,3 More than 49% of females with IBD have been reported to experience sexual dysfunction.⁴ Not yet understood is the prevalence of comorbid GI conditions among those seeking care for dyspareunia.⁵ Thus, we sought to characterize GI disorders within a dyspareunia patient population.

Figure 1.

Characterization of gastrointestinal diagnoses among a dyspareunia patient population (N=1836).