Prevalence of sexual dysfunction and its associated factors in women aged 40-65 years with 11 years or more of formal education: a population-based household survey

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prevalence of sexual dysfunction and its associated factors in middle-aged women with 11 years or more of formal education. METHODS: A cross-sectional, population-based study was carried out using an anonymous, self-response questionnaire. A total of 315 Brazilian-born women, 40-65 years of age with 11 years or more of schooling, participated in the study. The instrument used in the evaluation was based on the Short Personal Experiences Questionnaire. Sexual dysfunction was calculated from the mean score of sexual responsiveness (pleasure in sexual activities, excitation and orgasm), frequency of sexual activities and libido. Sociodemographic and clinical factors were evaluated. Poisson multiple regression analysis was carried out and the prevalence ratios with respective 95 percent confidence intervals (95 percentCI) were calculated. RESULTS: The prevalence of sexual dysfunction was 35.9 percent among our study population. Multiple regression analysis showed that sexual dysfunction was positively associated with older age (prevalence ratios=1.04; 95 percentCI:1.01-1.07) and with the presence of hot flashes (prevalence ratios=1.37; 95 percentCI:1.04-1.80). Having a sexual partner (PR=0.47; 95 percentCI:0.34-0.65) and feeling well or excellent (prevalence ratios= 0.68; 95 percentCI: 0.52-0.88) were factors associated with lower sexual dysfunction scores. CONCLUSIONS: Sexual dysfunction was present in more than one-third of women that were 40-65 years of age with 11 years or more of formal education. Within that age group, older age and hot flashes were associated with higher sexual dysfunction scores, whereas feeling well and having a sexual partner were associated with better sexuality.

Variáveis reprodutivas e risco para doenças benignas de mama. Estudo caso-controle / Reproductive variables and risk of benign breast diseases. A case-control study

Foram estudadas 257 mulheres com diagnòstico de doença benígna da mama (DBM), atestado por anamotopatològico ou citologia, e um controle para cada uma delas. Foram apresentados resultados das possíveis relaçöes entre variáveis reprodutivas e o risco para DBM. Os casos e controles foram comparados levando em conta a idade na menarca e na menopausa, o número de gravidezes, de meses em que amamentaram e de ciclos menstruais ovulatòrios, e os antecedentes familiares do câncer de mama. Mostraram influência significativa, em relaçäo às DBM, a nuliparidade, aumentando o risco enquanto a idade de 30 ou mais anos no primeiro parto o reduziu; o número de ciclos ovulatòrios, que foi significativamente maior para os casos, e a média de meses de uso da pílula, menor entre as mulheres com DBM. O uso de contraceptivos orais apresentou um efeito protetor apenas quando a duraçäo total do uso foi maior que dois anos. Os resultados näo se revelaram novos ou diferentes se comparados com outros estudos, mas confirmam a relativa concordância entre os fatores de risco para a DBM e para o câncer de mama, ainda que as relaçöes entre esses fatores e as DBM näo sejam täo claras como o säo para o câncer, e existam também algumas discrepâncias