The impact of motor, non-motor, and social aspects on the sexual health of women living with Parkinson's disease.

Abstract

BackgroundSexual health is influenced by a complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors, all of which can be impacted by Parkinson's disease (PD). Female sexual dysfunction includes reduced sexual desire and/or arousal, pain during sexual activity, or difficulty achieving orgasm. Despite its impact on quality of life, sexual health in women with PD remains poorly understood.ObjectiveTo investigate the impact of motor, non-motor, and social PD aspects on sexual health of women with PD.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study with 100 women with PD (Hoehn and Yahr stages 1-3) who reported an active sex life in the last six months. Data were collected via remote interviews and included demographic and clinical features, cognitive capacity, motor and non-motor experiences, fatigue, self-esteem, sleep disorders, couple relationship quality, depressive symptoms, and sexual health assessments using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) and Sexual Quotient-Female (SQ-F). Multiple regression models were used to identify predictors of FSFI and SQ-F scores.ResultsResults indicated that while several motor, non-motor, and social factors correlated with sexual health, only couple relationship quality and sleep quality significantly predicted both short-term (FSFI) and long-term (SQ-F) sexual health. No significant associations were observed with age, disease onset, postmenopausal status, or daily medication dosage.ConclusionsThe present study's evidence identifies multiple key areas, such as couple's relationship quality and sleep quality that could be targeted for intervention to improve sexual health in women with PD.