Sexual dysfunction is common and overlooked in female patients with hypertension

Our objective was to investigate sexual activity, behavior, dysfunction, and satisfaction in hypertensive women. Sixty-seven patients with a mean age of 60.4 years completed a detailed questionnaire. Of these women, 81.3% had a sex partner; 42.6% had untreated sexual dysfunction with a duration of more than 5 years in 70.9% and a duration of more than 10 years in 41.7%; 5.3% initiated sexual activity; 36.6% reported less sexual activity than desired; and 54.8% reported sexual activity as important. Our study revealed highly prevalent untreated sexual dysfunction of long duration. It also showed low frequency of sexual activity in spite of the high availability of partners. There was low frequency of initiation of sexual activity. In spite of the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction, more than a third of patients reported sexual activity to be less than desired, and more than half of patients reported sexual activity as important.