Sexual and relational satisfaction in couples where thewomanhas polycystic ovary syndrome: A dyadic analysis

Abstract

studyquestion: Howare objective characteristics of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and PCOS-related concerns associated with the sexual and relational satisfaction of PCOS women and their partners? summaryanswer: Both objective PCOS characteristics (parity, women's body mass index (BMI) and current unfulfilled wish to conceive) and PCOS-related concerns (women's infertility-related and acne-related concerns) were associated with sexual and/or relational satisfaction, although some associations differed for PCOS women and their partners. what is known already: There is some evidence indicating an association between objective PCOS characteristics and sexual satisfaction of PCOS women, but this evidence is conflicting, scarce, and often validated questionnaires have not been used to evaluate sexual satisfaction. No evidence is available about the association of: (i) PCOS with relational satisfaction; (ii) PCOS-related concerns with sexual and relational satisfaction; and (iii) PCOS with sexual and relational satisfaction as experienced by partners of PCOS women. study design, size, duration:We set up a cross-sectional study from April 2007 until April 2009, including 31 overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2)womenwithPCOSand at a reproductive age aswell as their partners withwhomthey had a committed intimate relationship at the time of recruitment. participants/materials, setting, methods: The study was performed at the fertility center of the Ghent University Hospital. Objective PCOS characteristics were registered and PCOS-related concerns were evaluated by the PCOS Questionnaire. Sexual (SS) and relational (RS) satisfactionwere measured by the Maudsley Marital Questionnaire (MMQ). Dyadic statistical analyses were performed using linear mixed models (α < 0.05). main results and the role of chance: A lower parity tended to be associated with higher levels of sexual and relational satisfaction, with a significantly stronger association in PCOSwomen than in their partners (p(SS) = 0.015 and p(RS) = 0.009).Ahigher BMI tended to be associated with lower and higher satisfaction levels (sexual and relational) in PCOS women and their partners, respectively, with a significantly stronger association in the partners (p(SS) = 0.029 and p(RS) = 0.021). The presence of a current unfulfilled wish to conceive and a higher level of infertility-related concerns was significantly more strongly associated with a higher level of relational satisfaction for PCOS women than for their partners (p(RS) = 0.021 and p(RS) = 0.011, respectively). Higher levels of acne-related concern were significantly associated with lower levels of sexual satisfaction in both PCOS women (p(SS) = 0.025) and their partners (p(SS) = 0.002). limitations, reasons for caution: The fact that this study was performed in a sample of PCOS women who were all overweight and the small sample size are important limitations. Data were partially missing in some couples but this limitation was dealt with by using linear mixed models. wider implications of the findings: Our results suggest a differential association ofPCOSwith sexual and relational satisfaction between PCOS women and their partners. This should be kept in mind during the psychological guidance of couples dealing with PCOS. study funding/competing interest(s): V.D.F. is holder of a Special PhDFellowship of the Flemish Foundation for Scientific Research(FWO-Vlaanderen).P.D.S. isholderof a fundamental clinical researchmandate of theFlemish Foundationfor ScientificResearch(FWO-Vlaanderen). This research also received financial support by Merck Serono and Artevelde University College Ghent. There are no competing interests.