Sexual dysfunction worsens both the general and specific quality of life of women with irritable bowel syndrome. A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and sexual dysfunction (SxD) lowers quality of life (QOL) separately, but the effect of their overlap in unselected populations has not been studied. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the QOL of IBS women with and without SxD and compare it with controls. METHODS: In this cross-sectional assessment, we studied 51 IBS women (Rome IV criteria) and 54 controls. SxD was determined using the female sexual function index questionnaire. QOL was evaluated by the Short Form 36 (SF-36) and IBS-QOL questionnaires. RESULTS: SxD prevalence was similar between IBS women (39.22%) and controls (38.89%). Compared with other groups, IBS patients with SxD showed lower scores in all domains as well as in the physical, mental summaries of the SF-36 and almost all domains (except for body image, food avoidance, and social reaction compared with IBS patients without SxD) and the total score of IBS-QOL. CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that SxD worsens both general and specific QOL of women with IBS. The consideration of SxD in patients with IBS will allow us to make a more effective diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Clinical trial registry in Mexico City General Hospital: DI/19/107/03/080. Clinical trials registration: NCT04716738. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-023-02272-9.