Assessing prevalence of sexual satisfaction and interference of pain and fatigue in people with multiple sclerosis

Sexual dysfunction has been cited a symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS); however, a better understanding of the prevalence of sexual satisfaction and associated factors, including the common symptoms of pain and fatigue, is needed. Individuals with MS (N=617) involved in an ongoing self-report survey project were asked to report on sexual satisfaction, as well as to what degree fatigue or pain affected satisfaction with sexual activity. Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were conducted to examine prevalence of sexual satisfaction, impact of pain and fatigue, and identify variables associated with sexual satisfaction The majority of participants who responded to sexual satisfaction items of the survey (N=523) reported being not at all satisfied or a little bit satisfied with their sex life (52%). Pain interfered with satisfaction of sex life quite a bit to very much in 22% of the sample who reported having pain (N=406). Fatigue interfered with satisfaction of sex life quite a bit to very much in 36% of the sample who reported having fatigue (N=488). Variables associated with increased sexual satisfaction included being in a marriage or partnership, female sex, and lower age. These results indicate that a majority of persons with MS have low sexual satisfaction, and that pain and fatigue impact satisfaction greatly. More research is needed to explore the impact of treating pain and fatigue on sexual satisfaction in this population. Clinicians should discuss sexual satisfaction with their MS patients and potential treatments should consider the role of pain and fatigue in interference with satisfaction.