EVALUATION OF FEMALE SEXUAL FUNCTION IN PERSONS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS SEEN IN A TERTIARY HOSPITAL IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA WITH EMPHASIS ON ITS FREQUENCY AND PREDICTORS

Background women with diabetes are at increased risk of sexual problems, however, this problem is under reported hence the need for this study. Methods This was a cross sectional case-controlled study. Seventy-five consenting females with type 2 DM were enrolled from the Diabetes Clinic of the Federal Medical Center, Umuahia, while Seventy-five persons which included hospital workers and female companions of subjects were recruited as control. Sexual dysfunction in both groups was diagnosed and characterized using the female sexual function index (FSFI). Data obtained from this study was presented as Mean{+/-}SD and analyzed using SPSS 17 software. Results The mean age of the T2DM group and control were 44.5 years and 38.9 years respectively. The mean total female sexual score (TFSS) was 22.10{+/-}6.66 in the T2DM subjects, while in the control subjects, it was 22.43{+/-}5.29. This was not statistically significant. The FSF scores in the desire, lubrication and orgasm domains were all lower in the diabetic women and this was statistically significant (P0.05). The proportion of diabetic females who reported problems in the arousal, lubrication, orgasm and pain domains were higher (40.0, 36.4, 32.7, 29.1) than the controls (27.9, 16.2, 14.7, 19.1) {p<0.05}. Conclusion The prevalence of female sexual dysfunction was high from our study. Similarly, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) score was low in women with diabetes when compared with controls. The domains of arousal, pain, orgasm and satisfaction were the most affected domains in subjects with DM Age, marital status, BMI, FBS and hypertension were predictive of sexual dysfunction in the diabetic women.