Body Mass Index and Sexual Dysfunction in Males and Females in a Population Study

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The association of obesity with sexual dysfunctions is complex and far from clear. Most former studies consisted of small samples and did not control several possible confounding factors.Our aim was to investigate the association of BMI with current sexual dysfunction in males and females in a nationally representative population sample after controlling for age, the presence of cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, hypertension, thyroid diseases, anxiety and depression and also menopause in women. The sample included a total of 4162 subjects (2081 females and 2081 males). The most frequent sexual problem was premature ejaculation (8.8%) in males and hypoactive sexual desire disorder (13.9%) in females. Univariate analysis showed that hypoactive sexual desire and erectile dysfunction in males and hypoactive sexual desire, lack of pleasure from sexuality and sexual pain in females were associated with obesity. Multivariate analysis indicated that age was significantly associated with almost all types of sexual problems in both sexes. The risks of having no active sexual life, hypoactive sexual desire, lack of pleasure from sexuality and erectile dysfunction were higher in males with diabetes mellitus. Depression and anxiety were associated with all types of sexual problems in females and with no active sexual life, hypoactive sexual desire, erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation in men. In both sexes BMI was not associated with sexual problems after the confounding factors were controlled. The association of obesity with sexual dysfunction might be mediated by other factors.