Changes in Sexual Functions of Female Patients After Bariatric Surgery: Relationship with Body Image, Depression, and Anxiety

Address correspondence to: Selime Çelik Erden, MD, Sisli Hamidiye Etfal Research and Training Hospital, Psychiatry Unit, Sisli-Istanbul, Turkey, E-mail: [email protected]

Introduction

Bariatric surgery (BS) provides fast and effective weight loss¹ and also improves anxiety and depression symptoms as well as sexual functions.^2-4 It is reported that sexual dysfunction is observed in obese women, especially in those considering BS,^3,5,6 and improvements occur in sexual functions in the post-BS term.^3,4,7 In their study, Camps MA et al. evaluated 28 individuals in terms of sexual functions preoperatively and 1 year after the operation and received their partners' views. Patients reported improvement at the end of year 1 in pleasure from sex, orgasmic function, and body image perception.⁷ Assimakopoulos et al. found significant improvement in the post-BS year 1 in sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, satisfaction and total sexual function, as well as distinct improvement in depression levels.⁸

The etiology of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is explained through medical, psychological, and sociodemographic factors.⁹ Feelings of stress, depression and anxiety, general health disorders, and the sexual dysfunction of the partner are stated as reasons adversely affecting sexual functions.^9-11 Although FSD and obesity are generally reported to be unrelated in the literature,^12,13 there are also different research^5,14 results in this regard. In Turkey, there is no study in which FSD was examined in BS candidates; however, FSD was detected among obese women at a rate of 86%.¹³ In another study in which sexual...