Subclinical hypothyroidism would not lead to female sexual dysfunction in Chinese women

Abstract

BackgroundThere is dearth of research about female sexual dysfunction (FSD), especially in China, because of conservative beliefs. Previous studies indicated the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and anxiety and depression. However, there is dearth of research regarding the relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and FSD in Chinses women.MethodA hospital-based research was conducted. Female sexual function was measured by CVFSFI which includes 19 items. Participants were identified as FSD if CVFSFI ≤ 23.45. Logistics analysis was used to determine risk factor of FSD. All of them finished CVFSFI, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) self-reporting questionnaires and had thyroid hormone tests. Based on presence and absence of subclinical hypothyroidism, participants were divided into two groups. Risk factors of FSD were identified.ResultOne thousand one hundred nineteen participants with CVFSFI score 25.8 ± 3.9 were enrolled in final analysis. Incidence of subclinical hypothyroidism and FSD in Chinese women was 15.0% and 26.5% respectively. There were no significant difference between subclinical hypothyroidism and control group in FSFI score and prevalence of FSD. Age, Depression (medium risk) was identified as risk factors for nearly all types of FSD, and Income (ranges from 40,000 to 100,000 RMB/year) as protective factor. Subclinical hypothyroidism had no significant relationship with FSD.ConclusionSubclinical hypothyroidism is not the risk factor for FSD in urban women of China.

Is There an Association Between Hypothyroidism and Sexual Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Cumulative Analysis

“…In the initial database search, we have identified a total of 423 publications. After removing 416 records for various reasons, 7 studies 21 – 27 ultimately met our predefined inclusion criteria. A total of 2,703 individuals were involved, while the hypothyroidism cases were 460 (overt: 114; subclinical: 346).…”

“…A total of 2,703 individuals were involved, while the hypothyroidism cases were 460 (overt: 114; subclinical: 346). Among the 7 included studies, 5 studies 21 , 23 , 25 – 27 solely reported the cases of overt hypothyroidism or subclinical hypothyroidism, while 2 included studies 22 , 24 reported both overt hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism, resulting in 4 studies related to overt hypothyroidism and 5 studies related to subclinical hypothyroidism. There are 2 cross-sectional studies 21 , 25 and 5 case-control studies 22 – 24 , 26 , 27 published from 2006 to 2018 .…”

“…The overall quality of the 7 included studies was considered to medium. Among these studies, 3 studies 23 , 25 , 27 were rated to high methodological quality (43%) and the other 4 were regarded as moderate methodological quality (57%) (Supplementary Table 2 and Supplementary Table 3).…”

“…The mean age of the individuals in the 7 included studies ranged from 29 § 4 to 39 § 5 years. The study region of these eligible studies was conducted in Italy, 21,23 Turkey, 22 Poland, 24,26 Korea, 25 and China 27 . The clinical characteristics of the 7 eligible studies were summarized in Table 1.…”

MANAGEMENT OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: Female sexual dysfunction for the endocrinologist

“…All studies listed in Table 2 demonstrated a strong association between hypothyroidism and SD with a significant reduction of FSFI scores in hypothyroid women compared to controls (27,28,30,31,32). Different results are found in subclinical hypothyroidism: in fact, two studies performed on Asian women (33,34) contradict the association between sub-clinical hypothyroidism and SD found by Atis (28). However, the authors do not provide solid explanations for this inconsistency, only stating that subclinical hypothyroidism fails to achieve the elevated TSH levels commonly reported in overt hypothyroidism which can induce hyperprolactinemia.…”