ACTA FAC MED NAISS 2021;38(1): 47-55

 UDC: 616.988:618.17-055.2
DOI: 10.5937/afmnai38-25536

Original article

Predictors of Sexual Dysfunction in HIV-Infected Women

Zeinab Moshfeghy¹, Fatemeh Dadgar², Roksana Janghorban³, Tahereh Poordast⁴

¹Student Research Committee,  Department of Midwifery and Reproductive Health,
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
²MSc in Midwifery, Student Research Committee, Department of Midwifery,
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
³Department of Midwifery, School of Nursing and Midwifery,
Community-Based Psychiatric Care Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
⁴Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Infertility Research Center,
Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

SUMMARY

                  Sexual dysfunction is more common among the people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection than in those without it. The sexual dysfunction in HIV-infected people is associated with adverse outcomes such as reduced quality of life, unprotected sexual activities, and reduced adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate a potential predictor role of some variables such as socioeconomic status, hormonal and HIV disease profile, type of treatment, depression, anxiety, stress, domestic violence, and status of partner infection for sexual function in people with HIV infection.

                This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 40 HIV-infected women with medical records in behavioral disease counseling centers of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. The required data were collected using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Depression‚ Anxiety‚ Stress Scale (DASS-21), and Domestic Violence Questionnaire. To examine the CD4 cell levels and hormonal profiles, 5cc blood was taken from the patients simultaneously on days 3 - 5 of their menstrual cycles. The data were analyzed using the SPSS18 software.

                The mean age of the participants was 38.2 ± 5.2 years, and the frequency of sexual dysfunction was 100%. There was a statistically significant difference in the levels of the elevated variables such as estradiol, stress, anxiety, and depression. The multivariate analysis showed that only the increased estradiol level (P = 0.005, B = 0.06) was a predictor factor of sexual dysfunction.

All the HIV-infected women had sexual dysfunction. The results of this study showed that in those women the increased levels of estradiol could be a predictor of sexual dysfunction.

Key words: sexual dysfunction, human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, depression, stress