Sexual dysfunction in female subjects with beta-thalassemia minor

• Published in: International journal of impotence research 2020-05, Vol.32 (3), p.358-362
• Main Authors: Keşkek, Şakir Özgür, Demirtaş, Derya, Uysal, Gülsüm, Başaran, Enes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 13/56; 692/699/2732/515; 692/700/784; 82/29; Anemia; beta-Thalassemia - complications; Blood diseases; Cardiovascular disease; Coitus; Complications and side effects; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diagnosis; Female; Genetic disorders; Health aspects; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Insulin resistance; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic disorders; Reproductive Medicine; Risk factors; rology; Sexual Behavior; Sexual disorders; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological - epidemiology; Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological - etiology; Thalassemia; Urology; Women; Womens health
• ISSN: 0955-9930; 1476-5489
• DOI: 10.1038/s41443-020-0283-z

Beta thalassemia minor (BTM) is a hereditary disease caused by defective globin synthesis and it is frequently asymptomatic or only mildly anemic. Female sexual dysfunction affects 21–41% of women worldwide. In this study we aimed to investigate female sexual dysfunction in subjects with BTM. A total of 183 subjects who had regular sexual intercourse with marital partners were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. The study group was comprised of 87 subjects with BTM and the control group included 96 healthy subjects. Hemoglobin electrophoresis were performed in all subjects, and all participants were assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire and the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX). The FSFI scores of the study group were significantly lower than in the control group (19.1 ± 9.6 vs. 25.2 ± 6.6, p