Duration of hypertension and antihypertensive agents in correlation with the phases of female sexual response cycle

Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the construct of the phases of the female sexual response cycle (SRC) in women with hypertension and their association with the duration of hypertension and types of antihypertensive agents. Methods: The sexual response phases were measured with a validated Malay version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The correlations structure of the items of the SRC's phases (i.e. desire, arousal, orgasm, satisfaction and pain) was determined using principal component analysis (PCA), with varimax rotation method. The number of factors obtained was decided using Kaiser's criteria. A total of 348 hypertensive women were recruited for this study. Four constructs were extracted in the analysis of all subjects. Results: Using the factor analysis, the six domains (i.e. sexual desire, arousal, etc.) of the women's SRC among hypertensive women merged into 4 constructs. They were composed of (i) sexual desire and arousal, (ii) orgasm and sexual satisfaction, (iii) vaginal lubrication and (iv) sexual pain. Interestingly, vaginal lubrication stood out alone as one construct, compared to the non-hypertensive women. It was also observed that the duration of hypertension, beta blocker and diuretic antihypertensive medications had different influence on the SCR (in terms of constructs). Conclusion: Duration of hypertension and types of antihypertensive drugs may affect the components of the SRC. A clear understanding would help the clinician in strategizing the treatment approach of sexual dysfunction in women with hypertension.