ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Glob. Women’s Health
Sec. Quality of Life
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fgwh.2025.1616496
Association of Body Mass Index and Sexual Dysfunction among Married Women in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia
Provisionally accepted
Nesrin Kamal Abd El-Fatah1*
Lujain Safwan Safwan Filfilan2- 1Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
- 2Ministry of Health (Saudi Arabia), Riyadh, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Background: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is a prevalent yet understudied health concern among married women in Saudi Arabia, where obesity rates among women are alarmingly high. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of FSD and its association with BMI among married women attending primary health care centers (PHCs) in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A crosssectional study was conducted among 332 married women aged 18-50 years attending PHCs in Makkah. Participants completed a structured questionnaire assessing sociodemographics, medical history, reproductive health, and sexual function using the validated Arabic Female Sexual Function Index (ArFSFI). Anthropometric measurements were taken to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI). Chi-square tests, logistic regression, and Kruskal-Wallis analyses were used to examine associations between BMI, FSD, and significant contributors. Results: The prevalence of FSD was 84.6%. Obesity was significantly associated with FSD (OR = 2.86, 95% CI: 1.38-5.30, p = .005), particularly affecting lubrication (p = .002) and orgasm (p = .014). Key correlates of FSD included partner-related factors, such as the husband's sexual dysfunction (40.9% vs. 5.9%, p < .001), and weight-related comments (33.8% vs. 15.7%, p = .010). Psychological distress, particularly higher levels of anxiety (32.0% vs. 11.8%, p = .003) and depression (44.5% vs. 7.8%, p < .001), was also significantly associated with FSD. Reproductive factors, such as irregular menstruation (p = .001), and reproductive surgeries (p = .003) were significantly associated with FSD. Conclusion: This study highlights a high burden of FSD among Saudi women with obesity, strongly associated with obesity, mediated by psychological and partner-related factors, as well as reproductive factors. Integrated interventions addressing weight management, mental health, and couples' counseling are urgently needed. Cultural sensitivity in sexual health education and clinical practice is essential to reduce stigma and improve care access.
Keywords: Female Sexual Dysfunction, Obesity, BMI, Saudi Arabia, marital satisfaction, Reproductive Health
Received: 22 Apr 2025; Accepted: 14 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Abd El-Fatah and Safwan Filfilan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Nesrin Kamal Abd El-Fatah, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt
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