Utilizing Assisted Reproductive Technologies and the Impact on Sexual Function: Validating the SFQ Among a Sample of Infertile Women

The public health implications of infertility are significant and costly. Infertility carries with it emotional and relationship-related stresses, as well as serious health risks for the women who choose to undergo hormonal treatments and surgeries in an attempt to conceive. Infertility affects approximately 7.3 million women in the United States each year. Feelings of inadequacy, inability to fulfill traditional masculine and feminine roles, and reduced sexual self-esteem are complex issues that can complicate intimate partner relationships. The sexual functioning, experiences, and behaviors of couples as they undergo ART procedures have rarely been explored. The Sexual Function Questionnaire (SFQ) is a gender-specific, 30-item measure of sexual functioning. Women who have undergone invitro fertilization and their male partners were recruited through various sites such as online infertility forums and infertility clinics. The purpose of this study was to assess the utility of the SFQ among infertile women using exploratory factor analysis. Based on preliminary analyses of approximately 80 women, over half (53.2%) of respondents rated their health as good and 43.5% reported being satisfied with their quality of life, yet 66.7% of both male and female respondents report that infertility treatment has negatively impacted the sexual relationship, with over 51% of women reporting reduced arousal. Subscale scores indicate lower levels of sexual functioning among participants, especially concerning arousal, desire and frequency of sexual behavior. Infertility treatment appears to have detrimental affects on the overall satisfaction with sex; a decreased desire to engage in sexual behaviors, and issues with arousal in women.