Agreement of Self-Reported and Genital Measures of Sexual Arousal in Men and Women: A Meta-Analysis

The assessment of sexual arousal in men and women informs theoretical studies of human sexuality and provides a method to assess and evaluate the treatment of sexual dysfunctions and paraphilias. Understanding measures of arousal is, therefore, paramount to further theoretical and practical advances in the study of human sexuality. In this meta-analysis, we review research to quantify the extent of agreement between self-reported and genital measures of sexual arousal, to determine if there is a gender difference in this agreement, and to identify theoretical and methodological moderators of subjective-genital agreement. We identified 132 peer- or academically-reviewed laboratory studies published between 1969 and 2007 reporting a correlation between self-reported and genital measures of sexual arousal, with total sample sizes of 2,505 women and 1,918 men. There was a statistically significant gender difference in the agreement between self-reported and genital measures, with men (r = .66) showing a greater degree of agreement than women (r = .26). Two methodological moderators of the gender difference in subjective-genital agreement were identified: stimulus variability and timing of the assessment of self-reported sexual arousal. The results have implications for assessment of sexual arousal, the nature of gender differences in sexual arousal, and models of sexual response

Mood disorders andsexual functioning in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea.

Objective: To investigate the sexual function of women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA) and to test the mediating effects of depression and anxiety on the sexual functioning of women with FHA. Design: In this cross-sectional study, participants completed questionnaires on sexual function, depression, and anxiety. Setting: Tertiary care university hospital. Patient(s): Women with (n = 41) and without (n = 39) FHA recruited from a gynecologic endocrinology unit. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): The McCoy Female Sexuality Questionnaire assessed sexual function, and the Zung Scale measured depression and anxiety. Result(s): Women with FHA experienced more sexual function problems and significantly higher depression and anxiety compared to women without menstrual dysfunction. In addition, depression offered a significant explanation for the sexual problems experienced by women with FHA. Conclusion(s): The psychologic symptoms that contribute to the onset of FHA partially mediate the relationship between FHA and sexual dysfunction. (Fertil Steril (R) 2010;94:2239-43. (C) 2010 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Cross-sex hormonal treatment and body uneasiness in individuals with gender dysphoria.

INTRODUCTION: Cross-sex hormonal treatment (CHT) used for gender dysphoria (GD) could by itself affect well-being without the use of genital surgery; however, to date, there is a paucity of studies investigating the effects of CHT alone. AIMS: This study aimed to assess differences in body uneasiness and psychiatric symptoms between GD clients taking CHT and those not taking hormones (no CHT). A second aim was to assess whether length of CHT treatment and daily dose provided an explanation for levels of body uneasiness and psychiatric symptoms. METHODS: A consecutive series of 125 subjects meeting the criteria for GD who not had genital reassignment surgery were considered. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Subjects were asked to complete the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT) to explore different areas of body-related psychopathology and the Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) to measure psychological state. In addition, data on daily hormone dose and length of hormonal treatment (androgens, estrogens, and/or antiandrogens) were collected through an analysis of medical records. RESULTS: Among the male-to-female (MtF) individuals, those using CHT reported less body uneasiness compared with individuals in the no-CHT group. No significant differences were observed between CHT and no-CHT groups in the female-to-male (FtM) sample. Also, no significant differences in SCL score were observed with regard to gender (MtF vs. FtM), hormone treatment (CHT vs. no-CHT), or the interaction of these two variables. Moreover, a two-step hierarchical regression showed that cumulative dose of estradiol (daily dose of estradiol times days of treatment) and cumulative dose of androgen blockers (daily dose of androgen blockers times days of treatment) predicted BUT score even after controlling for age, gender role, cosmetic surgery, and BMI. CONCLUSIONS: The differences observed between MtF and FtM individuals suggest that body-related uneasiness associated with GD may be effectively diminished with the administration of CHT even without the use of genital surgery for MtF clients. A discussion is provided on the importance of controlling both length and daily dose of treatment for the most effective impact on body uneasiness