Sexual function in women with epilepsy.

PURPOSE

To examine certain aspects of sexual behaviour and attitudes in a group of women with epilepsy using a validated questionnaire (Sexuality Experience Scales), and effects of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) on sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), total testosterone (TT), and free testosterone (FT).

METHODS

One hundred ninety-five women all attending a hospital-based epilepsy clinic were recruited. One hundred fifty-nine received AED therapy and 36 women did not. A control group of 48 women was also recruited. All women completed the first two Sexuality Experience Scales (SES 1 and SES 2), and those women in stable heterosexual relationships completed SES 3 and SES 4. At the same time blood was taken for TT and SHBG levels. FT was calculated using the method of Nanjee and Wheeler (22).

RESULTS

Women receiving AED therapy achieved significantly higher SES 1 and SES 2 scores than the rest of the women, suggesting that they adhered to a stricter sexual morality and were less open to psychosexual stimulation than the rest of the women treated. Women in the treated group were less likely to have received further education than the controls, a factor that influences SES 1 and SES 2 scores. There were no significant differences between the three groups on SES 3 or SES 4, with the exception of the orgasmic adequacy (OE) scale of SES 3 where those women in the treated group attained a higher mean score than the controls, suggesting that they found orgasm less satisfying. Women receiving AEDs had significantly higher SHBG and TT than controls and untreated patients. There were no differences in FT between the groups. Those women receiving AEDs also exhibited the expected midcycle rise in FT. There was no significant correlation between FT and the desired frequency of intercourse or enjoyment of it for the three groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Women in the treated group appeared to be more "moral" and less open to sexual approach, but those who had regular partners appeared to desire and enjoy intercourse as much as the control and untreated groups. This could be explained by differences in demographic characteristics of the study groups or be indicative of a bimodal distribution of sexual interest in these women. As FT was within physiological norms for each study group this cannot be cited as a cause for hyposexuality.