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Women with multiple sclerosis who also have sexual dysfunction may benefit from disease-specific sex education or counseling, a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing suggests.
In the study, researchers sought to determine whether education or education plus counseling would better improve symptoms of sexual dysfunction among women with MS.
Sixty-two women with MS were assigned either to receive written materials regarding sexual dysfunction or to receive the same materials plus three counseling sessions from a clinical nurse.
At the beginning of the trial, no relationship was found between disability status and sexual dysfunction that was related to neurological or psychological conditions. A relationship was noted between the use of cholinergic drugs and symptoms of sexual dysfunction, but no affect of other drugs, tobacco or alcohol use was noted.
Both groups showed equivalent and significant reductions in primary sexual dysfunction after the interventions. Those in the education plus counseling group demonstrated a trend toward improvement in sexual dysfunction related to psychological conditions.
The researchers observed that the women “welcomed” a chance to discuss sexual concerns and indicated that the educational material allowed the women an opportunity to discuss the issue with their spouses.
“Relatively straightforward interventions provided by a clinic nurse may help women cope with the symptoms of sexual dysfunction associated with MS,” the authors wrote.
“Women with MS experience many disease-related physical and emotional challenges of which sexuality is only one. Sensitivity to sexual dysfunction and being willing to approach the topic is appreciated by women with MS,” they concluded.
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