Prevalencia de los trastornos de la sexualidad en mujeres climatéricas: influencia de la menopausia y de la terapia de reemplazo hormonal / Prevalence of sexual dysfunction in climacteric women: influence of menopause and hormone replacement therapy

Background: Few trials have studied the prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) and related risk factors in postmenopausal women using the DSM-IV criteria. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of SD in menopausal women and the impact of risk factors. Patients and methods: Five hundred thirty four healthy women, 40 to 64 years of age were interviewed using the Laumann test (DSM-IV). Results: Mean age was 52.4ñ5.7 years. Eighty three percent were peri or postmenopausal, 23 percent used hormonal substitution therapy and 79.2 percent were sexually active. Among sexually active women, the prevalence of SD increased along with age, from 22.2 percent at the 40-44 years old range to 66.0 percent in the 60-64 years old group. Hormone users and healthy women had a low risk for SD (Odds ratio (OR): 0.1 IC: 0.0-0.1 and OR: 0.6 IC: 0.3-0.9, respectively). The risk increased in menopausal women (OR: 3.3 IC: 1.6-6.9), those older than 49 years (OR: 3.4 IC: 1.8-6.4), those subjected to hysterectomy (OR: 3.7 IC: 1.3-10.6) or those with an impotent sexual partner (OR: 3.2 IC: 1.2-8.6). Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of SD among climacteric women. Estrogens, either endogenous or exogenous, have a positive influence on sexuality

Patrones de conducta sexual en mujeres chilenas / Sexual behavior patterns in chilean women

Background: Sexuality has an individual connotation, is influenced by biological, environmental and cultural factors and is present throughout all life. Aim: To assess the sexual behavior of a group of Chilean women. Subjects and methods: A specially devised inquiry was applied to 301 women, aged 20 to 70 years old, that consulted in a medical service. Results: Seventy seven percent of women are sexually active. These figures ranged from 80 percent of women aged 40-44 years old to 40 percent of women over 60. Sixty percent of women living together, 53.7 percent of single women, 65.6 percent of divorced women. 94.2 percent of married women and 100 percent of widows were sexually active. Women aged 25 to 29 years old had a mean of 8.4 relations per month compared with 3.3 relations among women older than 55. The frequency of sexual intercourse was higher in women living together and lower in widows. The mean age at the first intercourse was 20.6 ± 4.5 years. Ninety three percent had experienced sexual desire and the percentage of satisfactory sexual relations does not change with age. Less educated women had a lower frequency of orgasms. Conclusions: Age and legal status of women are related lo their sexual behavior and less educated women have a less satisfactory sexual life

Efecto del climaterio en la calidad de vida / Effect of the climaterium in the quality of life

Evaluar el efecto del climaterio en la calidad de vida (CV). Pacientes y método: con el cuestionario específico de calidad de vida para la menopausia (Universidad de Toronto) estudiamos a 481 mujeres entre 40 y 59 años. Resultados. Las mujeres peri o postmenopáusicas tienen puntajes más altos o sea, peor CV que las mujeres con ciclos normales en las cuatro áreas del cuestionario; así, tienen un riesgo (OR) 9,3 veces mayor de tener molestias vasomotoras que alteren la CV (IC: 3,5-26,8, p < 0,0001), 3,8 veces mayor riesgo de deterioro psicosocial (IC: 1,8-8,4; p < 0,0001), 8,0 veces mayor riesgo de trastornos físicos (IC: 3,0-23,3, p < 0,0001) y 5,4 de alteraciones de la sexualidad (IC: 2,2-14,3, p < 0,0001). La edad no modificó significativamente los puntajes de CV tanto en mujeres pre como postmenopáusicas. Conclusión: el climaterio produce pérdida de la calidad de vida, la cual es independiente de la edad