“The sexual dysfunction suffered by women with multiple sclerosis is little explored in consultations.” Dr. Sara Gil-Perotín, neurologist, says this to comment on a multicenter study that concludes that almost half of women with multiple sclerosis have sexual problems.
The study, carried out on 137 women with an average age of 38 years, has been led by the La Fe Hospital in València together with the Álvaro Cunqueiro Hospital in Vigo and the Arnau de Vilanova University Hospital in Lleida. “This is a study on premenopausal women between 25 and 45 years of age,” adds the doctor.
The research has been developed from the Spanish version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), a questionnaire to evaluate sexual dysfunction in women and which until now had not been tested in Spanish with multiple sclerosis. This pathology is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the young adult population, with a predominance in women.
These problems are related to the neurological disability, fatigue, depression, anxiety and sphincter dysfunction associated with multiple sclerosis. On the other hand, having a stable partner has been revealed as a protective factor, which safeguards women’s sexuality. Other factors that influence sexual problems are the medications administered to patients with a high degree of neurological disability.
The doctor tells La Vanguardia that the experience has shown two things: firstly, “that the questionnaire is useful for evaluating sexuality in patients with this pathology” and, secondly, “it has confirmed what other studies have already advanced, that “42.6% of those surveyed suffer alterations in ‘desire’ and ‘arousal’.”
He adds that since the patients’ sexual life is not a priority, this problem is not addressed. “This approach is needed, not only medical, but multidisciplinary so that women recover their normal lives and normalize their sexual lives; that area is fundamental.”
The study has also demonstrated significant differences between how women with high and low neurological disabilities experience their sexuality, while also demonstrating the importance of addressing sexual dysfunction in clinical practice.
Along these lines, the Sexual and Reproductive Health unit of the Trinitat Health Center has given a workshop for women with multiple sclerosis. The session was led by Patricia Escrivá Martínez, a specialist in Clinical Psychology in the Sexual and Reproductive Health unit of the department, and Sara Gil-Perotín, a neurologist from La Fe and first author of the multicenter study.
The objective has been, on the one hand, to improve knowledge about the dysfunctions associated with multiple sclerosis and, on the other, to promote sexuality as an area that contributes to the overall health of the person. The next session will be in April.
