The Association Between Sexual Disorders and the Quality of Life of Woman Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: Findings of a Prospective, Observational, and Cross-Sectional Survey

INTRODUCTION: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a progressive, chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system, whose symptoms include sexual disorders. Sexual dysfunctions can influence on quality of life (QOL) of patients with MS. AIM: To evaluate the occurrence of sexual disorders among women with MS and correlations between QOL, prevalence of sexual disorders, and level of sexual satisfaction. METHODS: Polish women (n = 101) aged 22–66 years with diagnosed MS were included in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The Female Sexual Function Index, the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Multiple Sclerosis International Quality of Life Questionnaire were used. In addition, an Authors-Designed Questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data. RESULTS: More than half of the patients surveyed were totally or somewhat unsatisfied with their sex life, and 44.55% of the patients were diagnosed with significant sexual disorders. It was shown that patients with diagnosed sexual disorders and a low level of sexual satisfaction rated their QOL the lowest among all the surveyed patients. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that sexual disorders and the level of sexual satisfaction correlate significantly with QOL in patients with MS. Sexual dysfunctions are a significant problem in women with MS; thus, they should be considered with comprehensive care. Kołtuniuk A, Przestrzelska M, Karnas A, et al. The Association Between Sexual Disorders and the Quality of Life of Woman Patients With Multiple Sclerosis: Findings of a Prospective, Observational, and Cross-Sectional Survey. Sex Med 2020;8:297–306.