Sexual Dysfunction in Depression: Gynecological and Psychiatric Interactions

A sample of outpatient women (n = 56) in treatment for depression were sequentially evaluated using the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale (ASEX), Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and a semi-structured questionnaire. A larger number of abortions in the sample patients with sexual dysfunction (SD) were observed and also a correlation between a higher number of abortions and a higher intensity of the majority of the ASEX symptoms. The SD sample showed the lowest verbal memory performance, indicated by the smaller average recall of number of words immediately after submission to a list of distracting words (SD: 6.7 versus Preserved Sexual Function—PSF: 9.3 P = 0.001) and registered 30 min after the test (SD: 6.6 versus PSF: 9.6 P = 0.002). The immediate recall of a larger number of words was associated with better performance of all ASEX functions.