76. Sexual disfunction in menopausal women worldwide and related factors: A scoping review
Main Article Content
Abstract
Sexual dysfunction (SFD) is a common and concerning health issue among menopausal women worldwide. A systematic overview of scientific studies published from 2014 to 2024 from three data bases PubMed, Cochrane, and Embase has highlighted the current situation and factors related to this condition. A total of 900 studies were found based on the search strategy, with 100 qualifying articles, and 22 studies that fully met the criteria were included in this overview for in-depth analysis. The results show that the prevalence of SFD varies widely, from 8.7% in South Korea to 88.7% in Turkey. Studies on SFD in menopausal women are most concentrated in Asia (13 out of 22 studies), particularly in Iran and Turkey. The Americas, Europe, and Oceania also have notable studies, but there is a lack of data from Africa. The majority of menopausal women worldwide experience SFD. Factors associated with increased SFD include age, low physical activity, and chronic diseases, marital status, educational background, medication history, and medical interventions.
Article Details
Keywords
Sexual dysfunction, menopause, postmenopausal women, associated factors
References
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22. Lo SST, Kok WM. Sexuality of Chinese women around menopause. Maturitas. 2013; 74(2): 190-195. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2012.11.006.
23.Valadares ALR, Lui-Filho JF, Costa-Paiva L, Pinto-Neto AM. Middle-aged female sexual dysfunction and multimorbidity: a population-based study. Menopause N Y N. 2016; 23(3): 304-310. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000000533.
24. Zeleke BM, Bell RJ, Billah B, Davis SR. Hypoactive sexual desire dysfunction in community-dwelling older women. Menopause N Y N. 2017; 24(4): 391-399. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000000767.
25. Yazdanpanahi Z, Nikkholgh M, Akbarzadeh M, Pourahmad S. Stress, anxiety, depression, and sexual dysfunction among postmenopausal women in Shiraz, Iran, 2015. J Fam Community Med. 2018; 25(2): 82-87. doi:10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_117_17.
26. Park JE, Sohn JH, Seong SJ, Cho MJ. Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction and Associations with Psychiatric Disorders Among Women Aged 50 and Older. J Womens Health 2002. 2015; 24(6): 515-523. doi:10.1089/jwh.2014.5151.
27. Nazarpour S, Simbar M, Ramezani Tehrani F, Alavi Majd H. Sexual Function and Exercise in Postmenopausal Women Residing in Chalous and Nowshahr, Northern Iran. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2016; 18(5): e30120. doi:10.5812/ircmj.30120.
28. Masliza W, Daud W, Yazid Bajuri M, et al. Sexual dysfunction among postmenopausal women. Clin Ter. 2014; 165(2): 83-89. doi:10.7471/CT.2014.1681.
29. Mernone L, Fiacco S, Ehlert U. Psychobiological Factors of Sexual Functioning in Aging Women - Findings From the Women 40+ Healthy Aging Study. Front Psychol. 2019; 10:546. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00546.
30. Valadares ALR, Pinto-Neto AM, de Sousa MH, Osis MJD. [Sociocultural adaptation of the short personal experiences questionnaire (SPEQ) in Brazil]. Rev Bras Ginecol E Obstet Rev Fed Bras Soc Ginecol E Obstet. 2010; 32(2): 72-76.
2. Nguyễn Thị Huyền Linh, Đỗ Quan Hà. Một số rối loạn thường gặp và mối liên quan giữa kiến thức, thực hành của phụ nữ tuổi tiền mãn kinh, mãn kinh | Tạp chí Phụ sản.
3. Grundy SM, Cleeman JI, Daniels SR, et al. Diagnosis and management of the metabolic syndrome: an American Heart Association/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Scientific Statement. Circulation. 2005; 112(17): 2735-2752. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.169404.
4. Silva Lara LA, Useche B, Rosa E Silva JC, et al. Sexuality during the climacteric period. Maturitas. 2009; 62(2): 127-133. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2008.12.014.
5. World Bank Open Data. World Bank Open Data. Accessed November 28, 2024. https://data.worldbank.org.
6. World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations. Accessed November 28, 2024. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/.
7. Comparison between Arksey and O’Malley, Levac and JBI scoping review... ResearchGate. Accessed July 28, 2025. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Comparison-between-Arksey-and-OMalley-Levac-and-JBI-scoping-review-guidelines_tbl2_382003009.
8. Hernández Y, Fonte Sevillano T, Rojas Pérez A, Quesada Peña S. Sexual dysfunction in women age 60 and older. Int J Med Surg Sci. Published online January 2, 2021:1-10. doi:10.32457/ijmss.v8i1.658.
9. Trento SRSS, Madeiro A, Rufino AC. Sexual Function and Associated Factors Postmenopausal Women. RBGO Gynecol Obstet. 2021; 43(7): 522-529. doi:10.1055/s-0041-1735128.
10. Dąbrowska-Galas M, Dąbrowska J, Michalski B. Sexual Dysfunction in Menopausal Women. Sex Med. 2019; 7(4): 472-479. doi:10.1016/j.esxm.2019.06.010.
11. Topaloğlu Ören ED, Ertem G. Sexual dysfunction and associated factors in menopausal women: A correlational study. Androloji Bül. Published online 2024. doi:10.24898/tandro.2024.62681.
12. Amin MA, Mozid NE, Ahmed SB, et al. Status of female sexual dysfunction among postmenopausal women in Bangladesh. BMC Womens Health. 2022; 22: 401. doi:10.1186/s12905-022-01991-9.
13. Naworska B, Bak-Sosnowska M. Risk factors of sexual dysfunctions in postmenopausal women. Ginekol Pol. 2019; 90(11): 633-639. doi:10.5603/GP.2019.0108.
14. Yağmur Y, Orhan İ. Examining sexual functions of women before and after menopause in Turkey. Afr Health Sci. 2019; 19(2): 1881-1887. doi:10.4314/ahs.v19i2.11.
15. Dombek K, Capistrano EJM, Costa ACC, Marinheiro LPF. Risk factors associated with sexual dysfunction in Brazilian postmenopausal women. Int J Impot Res. 2016; 28(2): 62-67. doi:10.1038/ijir.2016.4.
16. Cabral PUL, Canário ACGMD, Spyrides MHC, et al. Physical activity and sexual function in middle-aged women. Rev Assoc Medica Bras 1992. 2014; 60(1): 47-52. doi:10.1590/1806-9282.60.01.011.
17. Eftekhar T, Dashti M, Shariat M, Haghollahi F, Raisi F, Ghahghaei-Nezamabadi A. Female Sexual Function During the Menopausal Transition in a Group of Iranian Women. J Fam Reprod Health. 2016; 10(2): 52-58.
18. Jamali S, Javadpour S, Mosalanejad L, Parnian R. Attitudes About Sexual Activity Among Postmenopausal Women in Different Ethnic Groups: A Cross-sectional Study in Jahrom, Iran. J Reprod Infertil. 2016; 17(1): 47-55.
19. Santpure A, Nagapurkar S, Giri P, Bhanap P. Female sexual dysfunction amongst rural postmenopausal woman. Int J Reprod Contracept Obstet Gynecol. Published online 2016: 4385-4389. doi:10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20164349.
20.Merghati-Khoei E, Sheikhan F, Shamsalizadeh N, Haghani H, Yousofnia Pasha YR, Killeen T. Menopause negatively impacts sexual lives of middle-aged Iranian women: a cross-sectional study. J Sex Marital Ther. 2014; 40(6): 552-560. doi:10.1080/0092623X.2013.796577.
21. Alizadeh M, Sayyah-Melli M, Ebrahimi H, Shishavan MK, Rahmani F. Social Determinants and Reproductive Factors of the Menopausal Symptoms among Women in Tabriz-Iran. Soc Determinants Health. 2015; 1(1): 2-8. doi:10.22037/sdh.v1i1.7198.
22. Lo SST, Kok WM. Sexuality of Chinese women around menopause. Maturitas. 2013; 74(2): 190-195. doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2012.11.006.
23.Valadares ALR, Lui-Filho JF, Costa-Paiva L, Pinto-Neto AM. Middle-aged female sexual dysfunction and multimorbidity: a population-based study. Menopause N Y N. 2016; 23(3): 304-310. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000000533.
24. Zeleke BM, Bell RJ, Billah B, Davis SR. Hypoactive sexual desire dysfunction in community-dwelling older women. Menopause N Y N. 2017; 24(4): 391-399. doi:10.1097/GME.0000000000000767.
25. Yazdanpanahi Z, Nikkholgh M, Akbarzadeh M, Pourahmad S. Stress, anxiety, depression, and sexual dysfunction among postmenopausal women in Shiraz, Iran, 2015. J Fam Community Med. 2018; 25(2): 82-87. doi:10.4103/jfcm.JFCM_117_17.
26. Park JE, Sohn JH, Seong SJ, Cho MJ. Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunction and Associations with Psychiatric Disorders Among Women Aged 50 and Older. J Womens Health 2002. 2015; 24(6): 515-523. doi:10.1089/jwh.2014.5151.
27. Nazarpour S, Simbar M, Ramezani Tehrani F, Alavi Majd H. Sexual Function and Exercise in Postmenopausal Women Residing in Chalous and Nowshahr, Northern Iran. Iran Red Crescent Med J. 2016; 18(5): e30120. doi:10.5812/ircmj.30120.
28. Masliza W, Daud W, Yazid Bajuri M, et al. Sexual dysfunction among postmenopausal women. Clin Ter. 2014; 165(2): 83-89. doi:10.7471/CT.2014.1681.
29. Mernone L, Fiacco S, Ehlert U. Psychobiological Factors of Sexual Functioning in Aging Women - Findings From the Women 40+ Healthy Aging Study. Front Psychol. 2019; 10:546. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00546.
30. Valadares ALR, Pinto-Neto AM, de Sousa MH, Osis MJD. [Sociocultural adaptation of the short personal experiences questionnaire (SPEQ) in Brazil]. Rev Bras Ginecol E Obstet Rev Fed Bras Soc Ginecol E Obstet. 2010; 32(2): 72-76.