Table 2.
Sexual function of adults with severe obesity prior to bariatric surgery, by sex
| Characteristic | Female (N=1751)a |
Male (N=474)a |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % b | n | % b | |
| Frequency of sexual desire in past month | ||||
| Not at all | 437 | 25.6 | 55 | 11.7 |
| Once a month | 401 | 23.5 | 46 | 9.8 |
| Once a week | 346 | 20.3 | 86 | 18.3 |
| A few times a week | 402 | 23.6 | 170 | 36.2 |
| At least once a day | 118 | 6.9 | 113 | 24.0 |
| Frequency of sexual activity in past month | ||||
| Not at all | 586 | 34.2 | 115 | 24.5 |
| Once a month | 387 | 22.6 | 66 | 14.1 |
| Once a week | 399 | 23.3 | 111 | 23.7 |
| A few times a week | 293 | 17.1 | 138 | 29.4 |
| At least once a day | 47 | 2.7 | 39 | 8.3 |
| Reasons for no sexual activity in past month | ||||
| Not applicable | 1165 | 359 | ||
| Too tired/ not interested | 310 | 55.8 | 38 | 35.8 |
| Physical problems | 123 | 22.4 | 56 | 52.3 |
| No partner or partner not physically present | 250 | 44.9 | 35 | 32.7 |
| Partner not interested | 97 | 18.0 | 31 | 29.5 |
| Physical health limited sex in past month | ||||
| Not at all | 653 | 39.5 | 162 | 35.8 |
| Slightly | 368 | 22.3 | 94 | 20.8 |
| Moderately | 239 | 14.5 | 75 | 16.6 |
| Quite a bit | 205 | 12.4 | 65 | 14.3 |
| Extremely | 188 | 11.4 | 57 | 12.6 |
| Ways physical health limited sexual activity | ||||
| Not applicable | 751 | 183 | ||
| Fatigue or low energy/not interested | 865 | 88.2 | 201 | 71.3 |
| Difficulty becoming aroused/ having orgasm/functional difficulty | 611 | 63.4 | 198 | 69.5 |
| Embarrassment/fear of hurting partner | 526 | 54.6 | 137 | 49.5 |
| Pain/discomfort/fear of damaging health | 333 | 34.9 | 67 | 24.8 |
| Satisfaction with sex life | ||||
| Very dissatisfied | 470 | 29.0 | 167 | 36.6 |
| Moderately dissatisfied | 323 | 19.9 | 79 | 17.3 |
| About equally satisfied and dissatisfied | 335 | 20.7 | 89 | 19.5 |
| Moderately satisfied | 261 | 16.1 | 79 | 17.3 |
| Very satisfied | 232 | 14.3 | 42 | 9.2 |
| IWQOL-Lite Sexual Score (median, IQR) | 50.0 | (25.0, 75.0) | 62.5 | (31.3, 87.5 ) |
| missing | 88 | 10 | ||
Values are expressed at number (%) unless otherwise indicated. The number of participants across categories may not sum to the total number of participants due to missing data.