ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Female sexual dysfunction, which can occur during any stage of a normal sexual activity, is a serious condition for individuals and couples. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and predictive factors of female sexual dysfunction in women referred to health centers in Ilam, the Western Iran, in 2014. METHODS: In the present cross-sectional study, 444 women who attended health centers in Ilam were enrolled from May to September 2014. Participants were selected according to the simple random sampling method. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to predict the risk factors of female sexual dysfunction. Diffe rences with an alpha error of 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant. RESULTS: Overall, 75.9% of the study population exhibited sexual dysfunction. Univariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that there was a significant association between female sexual dysfunction and age, menarche age, gravidity, parity, and education (P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that, menarche age (odds ratio, 1.26), education level (odds ratio, 1.71), and gravida (odds ratio, 1.59) were independent predictive variables for female sexual dysfunction. CONCLUSION: The majority of Iranian women suffer from sexual dysfunction. A lack of awareness of Iranian women's sexual pleasure and formal training on sexual function and its influencing factors, such as menarche age, gravida, and level of education, may lead to a high prevalence of female sexual dysfunction.