Women with diabetes prone to sexual dysfunction
7 hours ago
Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is characterized by a persistent or recurrent deficiency of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity, resulting in marked distress and interpersonal difficulties.Sexual dysfunction (SD) is common among women with diabetes and appears to be driven by age, disease duration, and depression, among others, a study has found.
The researchers conducted a comprehensive search of the databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for English-language studies on sexual health issues in women with diabetes from 2005 to 2025. They used the Stata18.0 software to extract data in the systematic review.
SD prevalence among women with diabetes were assessed using random-effects model. The researchers then performed subgroup analysis, publication bias, and sensitivity analysis.
Fifty articles, including a total of 9,532 women with diabetes, met the eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis.
The pooled analysis revealed a 53-percent (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.46‒0.61) pooled prevalence of SD.
The following factors showed a significant association with SD: age (odds ratio [OR], 1.139, 95 percent CI, 1.100‒1.179), diabetes duration (OR, 1.337, 95 percent CI, 1.076‒1.660), depression (OR, 2.781, 95 percent CI, 2.012‒3.844), marital status (OR, 1.768, 95 percent CI, 1.306‒2.393), diabetic complications (OR, 2.258, 95 percent CI, 1.346‒3.788), diabetic neuropathy (OR, 2.550, 95 percent CI, 1.755‒3.707), and diabetes type (OR, 4.102, 95 percent CI, 2.231‒7.644).
“The prevalence of SD among women with diabetes is alarmingly high and warrants serious attention,” the researchers said. “Healthcare institutions should routinely assess female diabetic patients for SD and standardize diabetes management protocols to mitigate the incidence of this condition.”