Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
Clinical Neuroscience and Mental Health Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Neurology Department, Unidade Local de Saúde de São João, E.P.E., Porto, Portugal.
Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2024 Oct;245:108476. doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2024.108476. Epub 2024 Aug 3.
Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is an underdiagnosed and undertreated problem. Few studies have addressed sexual distress in migraine. We aimed to perform a pilot study to determine if there is an association between migraine and sexual dysfunction/distress in premenopausal women and to identify their respective risk factors.
Retrospective, cross-sectional pilot study, including 71 premenopausal female patients with migraine, from the headache outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital, and 34 age-matched-controls. Female Sexual Function Index-6 (FSFI-6), Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised (FSDS-R), Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS) Scale, Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Sleep Health Scale (RU-SATED) were applied.
Of the 71 patients [40.0 (IQR = 11.00) years], only 12.7 % (n = 9) were not under migraine prophylactic treatment, and most (n = 33, 62.3 %) reported severe disability (MIDAS-IV). FSD and sexual distress were present in 50.7 % (36) patients with migraine [vs 20.6 % (7) controls]. Migraine patients showed lower FSFI-6 scores [19.0 (9.0) vs 24.0 (6.0), p = 0.005], with significantly lower levels of desire (p = 0.011), lubrication (p = 0.002), and satisfaction (p = 0.013), higher sexual distress [11.2 (25.6) vs 3.2 (9.6), p = 0.001], anxiety (p < 0.001), and depression (p < 0.001) levels, and lower sleep health scores (p = 0.005). Old age of onset, being under preventive medication, anxiety/depression, and dysfunctional sleep, were significantly associated with sexual distress. Certain domains of sexual function were associated with sociodemographic and migraine characteristics, anxiety, depression, and sleep health.
This pilot study highlights the possible association between migraine and elevated sexual dysfunction/distress levels among premenopausal women. It underscores the importance of sexual health assessments in these individuals, particularly those with higher levels of anxiety, depression, or poor sleep quality. It is important to exercise caution when interpreting results, as they may not be applicable to a wider context. This research paves the way for a larger study that will include a broader population of women from the community and encompass patients followed in different levels of health care.
女性性功能障碍（FSD）是一种未被充分诊断和治疗的问题。很少有研究涉及偏头痛患者的性困扰。我们旨在进行一项初步研究，以确定绝经前女性偏头痛与性功能障碍/困扰之间是否存在关联，并确定各自的危险因素。
这是一项回顾性、横断面的初步研究，纳入了来自一家三级医院头痛门诊的 71 名绝经前偏头痛女性患者和 34 名年龄匹配的对照者。应用女性性功能指数-6（FSFI-6）、女性性功能困扰量表修订版（FSDS-R）、偏头痛残疾评估量表（MIDAS）、简明疼痛量表（BPI）、医院焦虑和抑郁量表（HADS）和睡眠健康量表（RU-SATED）。
71 名患者中[40.0（IQR=11.00）岁]，仅 12.7%（n=9）未接受偏头痛预防性治疗，大多数（n=33，62.3%）报告严重残疾（MIDAS-IV）。50.7%（36 名）偏头痛患者存在性功能障碍和性困扰[对照组为 20.6%（7 名）]。偏头痛患者的 FSFI-6 评分较低[19.0（9.0）比 24.0（6.0），p=0.005]，欲望（p=0.011）、润滑（p=0.002）和满意度（p=0.013）明显较低，性困扰（p=0.001）、焦虑（p<0.001）和抑郁（p<0.001）水平较高，睡眠健康评分较低（p=0.005）。发病年龄较大、预防性用药、焦虑/抑郁和睡眠障碍与性困扰显著相关。某些性功能领域与社会人口统计学和偏头痛特征、焦虑、抑郁和睡眠健康相关。
本初步研究强调了绝经前女性偏头痛与性功能障碍/困扰水平升高之间可能存在的关联。它强调了对这些患者进行性健康评估的重要性，特别是那些焦虑、抑郁或睡眠质量较差的患者。在解释结果时要谨慎，因为它们可能不适用于更广泛的背景。这项研究为包括社区内更多女性和不同医疗保健水平患者的更大规模研究铺平了道路。
