Abstract

Introduction: Dyspareunia is a common symptom among women of different ages. National studies have reported frequency of up to 33% among different groups of women, which is usually associated with other symptoms of sexual dysfunction. Several risk factors have been identi- fied, however, each patient's approach must be individual and consider all areas that involve the sphere of sexuality. Furthermore, this symptom has a direct impact on the quality of life and sexual satisfaction, and despite this, few women consult for this situation. Objective: To analyze the relationship between the presence of dyspareunia and risk factors in women employees of a chilean university. Material and method: Quantitative, analytic-relational study of trans- versal section. A socio-demographic questionnaire was sent via e-mail, including part of the "Index of Female Sexual Function" validated in Chile, to university employees. Univariate analysis, absolute and relative frequencies were calculated. Two comparative groups called "dyspareunia" and "no dyspareunia" were established in relation to the answer to the question regarding coital pain. Bivariate analysis, using Chi-square and Fisher tests, using SPSS 21.0 statistical suite. Study ap- proved by the ethics committee of the medical school. Results: 332 women participated (15.4% of the total), average age 41 (DE 9.7). 124 had dyspareunia (37.35%). The dyspareunia group oc- curred in younger women (39.7 years) as opposed to those without dyspareunia (42.1 years) (p=0.034). 72.2 per cent of women who felt their religion influenced their sexuality had dyspareunia (p=0.011). Also, 60.6% of women with dyspareunia were dissatisfied with their sex lives (p<0.0001). There were no significant differences when analyz- ing labour route, fertile age or associated pathology. Of the group with dyspareunia, 14.5% reported a history of sexual abuse and 6.45% pre- ferred not to answer this question. Conclusion: Dyspareunia is a very frequent symptom and rarely ad- dressed in the gynecological consultation, unless the patient goes for it. The impact of this symptom directly affects sexual satisfaction and draws attention to the effect of religiosity on this symptom. In addition, the high percentage of history of sexual abuse in the group, taking into account its subnotification, justifies the multidisciplinary approach of these patients.