Lack of Sex Desire Linked to More Symptoms

Women with low levels of sexual desire -- often a result of menopause -- are more likely depressed and suffer physical symptoms, U.S. researchers said.

The study, published recently in Value in Health, found that women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder reported poorer health status and worse health-related quality of life than women without the disorder.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals said those with the disorder were more than twice as likely to report health issues including back pain, fatigue and memory problems.

Andrea K. Biddle and colleagues said the study shows women with the disorder have a degree of physical and mental impairment comparable to chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis and asthma.

"Our research shows that hypoactive sexual desire disorder is a significant and clinically relevant problem, and not a normal or inevitable part of the aging process," Biddle said in a statement. "Women with the disorder experience health burdens similar to individuals with serious chronic conditions."

Hypoactive sexual desire disorder is defined as the persistent lack of sexual desire causing marked stress or interpersonal difficulties that studies show effect between 9 percent to 26 percent of U.S. women, the researchers said.