Objective:

To determine the prevalence of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause in a population of sexually active women 40 years of age or older.

Materials and methods:

Descriptive cross-sectional study which included women diagnosed with menopause, sexually active over the past six weeks and residents of the Department of Quindío in the coffee growing Andean region of Colombia. Excluded were women with surgical menopause, illiterate, and with mental disorders or deficit. The study was conducted in a private referral centre between 2013 and 2016. Consecutive convenience sampling was used. Measured variables included demographics, vulvo-vaginal and lower urinary tract symptoms associated with the genitourinary syndrome of menopause, and the presence of global sexual dysfunction, using the Female Sexual Function Index validated in Spanish and by type of dysfunction. A descriptive analysis of the data was performed applying absolute and relative frequency measurements. Prevalence was calculated as the number of women with genitourinary syndrome of menopause/number of women interviewed.

Results:

Of a total of 597 women selected to participate in the study, 558 (93.46%) were included in the final analysis. The prevalence of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause was 51.61% (62.88% in women over 55 years of age and 39.32% in women under 55). The prevalence of sexual dysfunction in the study group was 67.2%. Findings included altered desire (67.2%), arousal (45.16%), orgasm (44.08%), and lubrication (32.25%), as well as pain during intercourse (13.97%).

Conclusion:

A high prevalence of the genitourinary syndrome of menopause and sexual dysfunction was found in the study population. Population studies are required in order to determine the size of the problem in the Latin American region.

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