Objective: This study aimed to understand the significance of reported
sexual desire levels during clinical interviews. We investigated the
relationship between sexual desire, sexual developmental characteristics,
and scale results, and the predictive effect of adequate sexual desire on
clinical diagnoses.
Method: The medical records of patients who consecutively applied to a
Specialized Sexual Dysfunctions (SD) clinic were screened for reported
sexual desire. We compared 101 patients who reported adequate sexual
desire with 94 patients who reported inadequate desire with an interview.
The groups were compared based on their sociodemographic and
clinical characteristics, sexual behaviors and the Golombok-Rust Sexual
Satisfaction Scale (GRISS).
Results: When the group with adequate sexual desire was compared
with the group with inadequate sexual desire, significant differences
were found between the two groups. The group with inadequate sexual
desire was more likely to have had an arranged marriage, to have no
source of sexual information, to view masturbation as natural to a lesser
extent and as a sin to a greater extent, to have less frequent marital
intercourse, to have higher rates of negative experiences related to
sexuality, to have higher rates of negative changes in sexual life after
having children, to have higher rates of comorbid SD, and to have
higher GRISS frequency, satisfaction, avoidance, touching, anorgasmia
subscale and total scores. The source of sexual information and negative
experience about sexuality predicted a decrease in sexual desire. Those
with reduced sexual desire were diagnosed with an SD 8.5 times more
often than those with adequate sexual desire.
Conclusion: Our findings showed the importance of sexual desire
adequacy reported in the clinical interview in women in evaluating
women’s sexual health and functions, and the need for sexual health
education.
Keywords: Diagnostic evaluation, female sexual dysfunctions, sexual
desire