Factors Influencing Sexual Function in Postmenopausal Married Women

Hye Young Kim; Eun Ko

doi:10.4069/kjwhn.2016.22.4.287

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Kim and Ko: Factors Influencing Sexual Function in Postmenopausal Married Women

Original Article

Korean Journal of Women Health Nursing 2016; 22(4): 287-296.

Published online: 27 December 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4069/kjwhn.2016.22.4.287

Factors Influencing Sexual Function in Postmenopausal Married Women

Hye Young Kim¹, Eun Ko²

¹College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Korea.

²Department of Nursing, College of Life Science and Natural Resources, Sunchon National University, Suncheon, Korea.

Corresponding author: Ko, Eun. Department of Nursing, College of Life Science and Natural Resources, Sunchon National University, 255 Jungangro, Suncheon, 57922, Korea. Tel: +82-61-750-3886, Fax: +82-61-750-3880, eunko@sunchon.ac.kr

Received 5 October 2016 Revised 14 December 2016 Accepted 15 December 2016

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

This study identified the level of marital intimacy, menopausal symptom and sexual function, and examined factors affecting sexual function in postmenopausal married women.

Methods

With cross-sectional survey, a sample of 245 subjects aged 45 to 60 years was recruited from January to March, 2014. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires which included marital intimacy questionnaire (MIQ), menopause rating scale (MRS), and female sexual function index (FSFI). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression.

Results

Marital intimacy, menopausal symptom and sexual function scores of subjects were 3.46±1.14, 13.71±6.61, and 12.55±8.33, respectively. Marital intimacy and menopausal symptom were related to sexual function. Variables including marital intimacy, psychosocial and urogenital menopausal symptom, period since menopause and body mass index therapy explained 51.5% in sexual function of participants.

Conclusion

When nurses plan sexual counseling and education for sexual function of postmenopausal married women, it is necessary to consider marital intimacy, menopausal symptoms, and menopause-related factors.

Keywords: Postmenopause, Women, Marriage, Symptom, Sexual function

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Differences in Marital Intimacy, Menopausal Symptom and Sexual Function by General Characteristics of the Participants (N=245)

Variables	Categories	n (%) or M±SD	Sexual function
Variables	Categories	n (%) or M±SD	M±SD	t or F	p
Age (yr)	<50	146 (59.6)	13.33±8.04	1.78	.076
	≥50	99 (40.4)	11.40±8.66
		53.87±2.65
Duration of marriages (yr)	<25	27 (11.0)	13.13±7.11	1.05	.370
	25~30	87 (35.5)	13.53±8.07
	30~35	104 (42.4)	12.10±8.55
	≥35	27 (11.0)	10.58±9.40
Occupation	Yes	49 (20.0)	12.55±8.39	-0.01	.994
Occupation	No	196 (80.0)	12.55±8.34	-0.01	.994
Education	≤High school	134 (54.7)	11.48±7.02	-2.18	.031
Education	>High school	111 (45.3)	13.85±9.56	-2.18	.031
Religion	No	48 (19.6)	13.89±6.45	1.48	.141
Religion	Yes	197 (90.4)	12.23±8.72	1.48	.141
Monthly income (10,000 won)	<200	136 (55.5)	11.98±8.38	-1.21	.228
Monthly income (10,000 won)	≥200	109 (44.5)	13.27±8.26	-1.21	.228
Age at menopause (yr)	<50	109 (44.5)	12.00±8.31	0.55	.577
	50~54	125 (51.0)	12.90±8.13
	≥55	11 (4.5)	14.16±11.05
		49.59±2.43
Period since menopause (yr)	<5	155 (63.3)	12.19±7.91	-2.81	.005
Period since menopause (yr)	≥5	90 (36.7)	14.11±8.44	-2.81	.005
Frequencies of pregnancy	≤3	54 (22.0)	15.65±8.75^a	5.19	.006
	4~5	134 (54.7)	11.41±8.28^ab
	≥6	57 (23.3)	12.30±7.41
Frequencies of delivery	≤2	47 (19.2)	11.96±10.85	4.65	.010
	3~4	157 (64.1)	13.59±7.71^b
	≥5	41 (16.7)	9.27±6.37^bc
Body mass index (kg/m²)	<23 (underweight)	10 (4.1)	6.30±4.80^a	9.37	<.001
	23~24.9 (normal)	169 (69.0)	13.98±8.34^ab
	≥25 (overweight)	66 (26.9)	9.85±7.67^bc
Hormone replacement therapy	Yes	94 (38.4)	13.68±8.51	2.72	.007
Hormone replacement therapy	No	151 (61.6)	10.74±7.75	2.72	.007

a,b,c: Scheffé test; Means with the same letter are significantly different.

Table 2

Levels of Marital Intimacy, Menopausal Symptom and Sexual Function of the Participants (N=245)

Variables	Range	Weight^†	M±SD	Min	Max	Skewness	Kurtosis
Marital intimacy	8~40	-	27.68±9.12	13.04	40.00	-0.26	-0.42
Menopausal symptom	0~44	-	13.71±6.61	1.00	32.00	0.70	-0.02
Somato-vegetative symptom	0~16	-	5.16±2.54	1.00	12.00	0.68	-0.18
Urogenital symptom	0~12	-	3.71±2.21	0.00	9.00	0.49	-0.52
Psychological symptom	0~16		4.84±2.81	0.00	12.00	0.37	-0.52
Sexual function	2~36	0.6^†	12.55±8.33	1.90	31.06	-0.45	-0.89
Sexual desire	1~6	0.3^†	1.85±0.83	1.20	4.20	0.57	-1.02
Sexual arousal	0~6	0.3^†	1.57±1.29	0.00	5.10	0.03	-0.88
Lubrication	0~6	0.4^†	2.01±1.68	0.00	6.00	-0.19	-0.89
Orgasm	0~6	0.4^†	1.70±1.50	0.00	4.80	-0.10	-0.98
Sexual satisfaction	0 (or 1)~6	0.4^†	1.83±1.59	0.00	4.80	-0.09	-0.78
Sexual pain	0~6		2.91±2.46	0.00	6.00	-0.34	-1.00

^†The sub-domain score is calculated by multiplying the weight of each factor in the sub-domain.

Table 3

Relationships among Marital Intimacy, Menopausal Symptom and Sexual Function (N=245)

Variables	X1	X2	X3	X4	X5	X6
Variables	r (p)	r (p)	r (p)	r (p)	r (p)	r (p)
X1. Marital intimacy	1
X2. Menopausal symptom	-.14 (.029)	1
X3. Somato-vegetative symptom	-.10 (.125)		1
X4. Urogenital symptom	-.22 (.001)		.72 (<.001)	1
X5. Psychological symptom	-.13 (.049)		.67 (<.001)	.62 (<.001)	1
X6. Sexual function	.67 (<.001)	-.36 (.001)	-.22 (.001)	-.34 (<.001)	-.57 (<.001)	1

Table 4

Factors Influencing on Sexual Function (N=245)

Variables	B	β	t	p	R²	ΔR²
(Constant)	18.06		6.79	<.001
Marital intimacy	5.41	0.72	21.29	<.001	.135
Psychological menopausal symptom	-4.97	-0.49	-10.61	<.001	.432	.297
Urogenital symptom	-2.69	-0.28	-6.19	<.001	.467	.035
Period since menopause (<5)^†	-3.61	-0.21	-7.19	<.001	.499	.032
Body Mass Index (normal)^†	0.55	0.14	4.67	<.001	.515	.016
	Adj. R²=.515, F=87.71, p<.001

^†Dummy variables (Period since menopause: <5=1, ≥5=0, Body mass index: underweight=0, normal=1, overweight=2).

Summary Statement

▪ What is already known about this topic?

Women in menopausal phase experienced various physical and psychological symptom. Women in postmenopausal phase felt more severe symptoms compared to women in premenopausal phase.

▪ What this paper adds?

Sexual function in postmenopausal married women was associated with marital intimacy and menopausal symptom. Factors affecting sexual function were marital intimacy and psychosocial menopausal symptom.

▪ Implications for practice, education and/or policy

Nursing counseling and education to improve sexual function in postmenopausal married women should be considered with marital intimacy and menopausal symptoms.

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