Katja Elisa Schmidtke
Objective: Previous studies have confirmed the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction and its impact on quality of life. However, this factor has not yet been properly recognized in medical care. Our aim was to inquire about occurrence of sexual dysfunctions and sexual anamnesis in primary care patients. Methods: 801 patients aged between 18 and 40 were included in the study. Female sexual dysfunction was measured by the FSFI, erectile dysfunction by the IEEF-5. Health-related quality of life was measured by the SF12, sexual satisfaction by the NSSS-SD, partnership satisfaction and health by the VAS and depression by the PHQ-9. Patients were also asked about their health care experiences. Results: The study indicates that 35.6% of the women reported sexual dysfunction and 28.2% of the men erectile dysfunction. Patients with sexual dysfunction reported lower levels of quality of life, sexual satisfaction, partnership satisfaction and health, but higher levels of depression than patients without sexual dysfunction. In case of 85.1% of the women and 98.1% of the men, no complete sexual anamnesis was conducted. Only 10.3% of women and 7.2% of men received the offer to talk about sexual problems. 66.7% of women and 53.1% of men would like their doctor to initiate such talks. 84.8% of the women and 93.2% of the men with sexual dysfunction described themselves as untreated. Conclusion: Sexual disorders influence the quality of life and should have greater priority in medical care. Questions regarding sexual health and sexual counselling ought to be integrated into routine medical examinations.
