Background: Sexual function – the way the body reacts in different stages of the sexual response cycle – is an important component of physical and mental health. Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) – defined as a disorder of sexual desire, orgasm, arousal and sexual pain is a highly prevalent and often underestimated problem that results in significant personal distress. Studies have found that sexual concerns were more common in infertile women. The likelihood of FSD in infertile women is an important link that is not fully addressed in our population.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore FSD further, to determine the prevalence of FSD among patients with infertility, and to identify important risk factors that may lead to this problem.

Methodology: This is a prospective, cross sectional, questionnaire-based study.  84 patients with a history of infertility reviewed in the specialist clinic were recruited from April 2017 to May 2017. Participants were given a self-administered questionnaire in 2 parts – sociodemographic, and the validated Malay-version Female Sexual Function Index (MVFSFI).   Results from the sociodemographic questionnaire were run through SPSS version 22 to identify significant risk factors, and MVFSFI scores were used to diagnose FSD itself.

Results: The majority of participants were between the ages of 30-39 years old, with a mean age of 33.0 years, predominantly Malay, in the middle income group. The prevalence of FSD among women with infertility was 27.3%, comparable to results from previous local studies. FSD was found to be more common among women with primary compared to secondary infertility. Lubrication was the strongest domain involved, closely followed by satisfaction and orgasm, with a prevalence of 87%, 82% and 39% respectively. Women or their spouses above the age of 40 were found to be significant contributing factors.

Conclusion: FSD is an important issue, affecting 1 in 4 women in our study population. Much research is needed to further determine its significance as a cause or effect of infertility.