Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction in Females Suffering from Depression in a Tertiary Care Centre in Western U.P.

Background: There is a need to explore the sexual functioning of women with depression as one part of sexualityis that it helps in developing an intimate emotional and physical relationship with another person, and thisrelationship may serve as a buffer against life stresses. Our aim was to study the prevalence and types of sexualdysfunction in depressed women patients and to compare them with non-depressed women.Materials and Methods: A total of 270 participants who attended a teaching hospital were selected for thestudy – 135 cases and 135 controls. Sociodemographic and clinical details were collected. Mini InternationalNeuropsychiatry Interview (M.I.N.I), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Arizona Sexual Experiences(ASEX) scale, and Female Sexual Functioning Index (FSFI) scale were used. Sexual dysfunction was assessed inboth groups.Results: Among the cases, 47.40% had mild depression, 44.44% had moderate depression, and 8.15% were severelydepressed. On the ASEX, 46.66% of the cases had sexual dysfunction, while it was only 8.89% among the controls.The difference in sexual dysfunction among cases and controls was statistically significant. Using the FSFI, 40% ofthe cases had female sexual dysfunction (FSD), and it was only 11.1% in controls.Conclusion: Sexual dysfunction was more common in females with clinical depression than in those withoutdepression. Numerous factors can operate in the causation of FSD. This study underlines the importance ofscreening females with depression for FSD, for its early diagnosis and management.