Sexual Satisfaction and Well-being in Women
Exploring Sexuality in the Health of Females
Oct 1, 2009
Pre- and post-menopausal women who self-rated themselves as being sexually satisfied had a higher overall psychological well-being score and scores for "positive well-being" and "vitality" compared with sexually dissatisfied women in a study of 295 women, according to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine on September 30, 2009.
Dr. Irwin Goldstein, Editor in Chief of the Journal of Sexual Medicine believes that, "This large study performed in the community emphasizes the role and importance of women's sexual health in women's overall health and well-being. Previous criticism equated physician's efforts to improve a woman's satisfaction with her sexual life as medicalization. Dr. Davison and her co-workers' research will help health care professionals appreciate the need for overall women's healthcare to include women's sexual health."
Sexually Satisfied Women Study Overview
A team of Australian researchers recruited women from the community ages 20-65 and asked them questions about their sexual satisfaction.
According to the lead author of the article, Dr. Sonia Davison from Monash University, "We wanted to explore links between sexual satisfaction and well-being in women from the community, and to see if there was any difference between pre- and postmenopausal women. We found that women who were sexually dissatisfied had lower well-being and lower vitality.
Over 90 percent of the women in the study reported their sexual activity involved a partner, and was initiated by the partner at least 50 per cent of the time.
Sexually Satisfied Women Study Conclusions
Dr. Susan Davis, one of the researchers, said that, "The fact that women who self-identified as being dissatisfied maintained the level of sexual activity reported most likely represents established behavior and partner expectations. It also reinforces the fact that frequency of sexual activity in women cannot be employed as a reliable indicator of sexual well-being."
According to Dr. Davison, "The problem with interpreting this finding is that it is impossible to determine if dissatisfied women had lower well-being because they were sexually dissatisfied, or if the reverse is true, such that women who started with lower well-being tended to secondarily have sexual dissatisfaction. As such, pharmacotherapies aimed to treat sexual dysfunction may have secondary effects on well-being, and the reverse may be true."
The findings shows the importance of addressing these areas as an essential part of women's healthcare, something that women may be uncomfortable discussing with their doctors.
The Journal of Sexual Medicine is a peer-reviewed publication founded in 2004 and is the official journal of the International Society for Sexual Medicine, its five regional affiliated and the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health. It publishes multi-disciplinary basic science and clinical research to define and understand the scientific basis of male and female sexual function and dysfunction. It is published by Wiley InterScience.
Citation:
Davison, SL; Bell R; LaChina, M.; Holden SL; Davis SR; The Relationship between Self-Reported Sexual Satisfaction and General Well-Being in Women;Journal of Sexual Medicine: 2009.
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