ArticleThe journal of sexual medicine2020
Erectile Function and Sexual Satisfaction: The Importance of Asking About Sexual Desire.
Article in The journal of sexual medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Symptom cluster profiles and their impact on quality of life in Chinese patients with prostate cancer undergoing ADT: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Using the International Index of Erectile Function-15 in Comparative Analysis Between Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation of the Pudendal Nerve and Low-Level Laser Therapy in the Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction After COVID-19.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- The relationship between physical inactivity and sexual dysfunction among patients receiving hemodialysis.International urology and nephrology · 2025Article
- Sexual distress among men with cancer - a cross-sectional study.Acta oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden) · 2025Article
- Experience of sexual relationship of patients after radical prostatectomy: a qualitative study.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Article
- Erectile Function, Sexual Satisfaction, and Cognitive Decline in Men From Midlife to Older Adulthood.The Gerontologist · 2023Article
- Sexual function after radical cystectomy in males with bladder carcinoma: a six-year longitudinal single-centre study.Frontiers in urology · 2023Article
- Prevalence and Reasons for the Absence of Vaginal Intercourse in Chinese Middle-Aged and Elderly Men.Sexual medicine · 2022Article
- Trends in reported male sexual dysfunction over the past decade: an evolving landscape.International journal of impotence research · 2021Article
- The Sexual Function, Desire, and Satisfaction of Couples during the Outbreak of COVID-19 in Qazvin.Iranian journal of nursing and midwifery researchArticle
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
introductionErectile function, libido, and sexual bother are incompletely correlated: a man may or may not be satisfied for a given level of erectile function; similarly, 2 men may have the same erectile function and different levels of sexual desire.
aimTo explore the relationship between erectile function, sexual satisfaction and sexual desire.
methodsWe examined the Spearman correlation among erectile function (International Index of Erectile Function [IIEF-6]), sexual desire, and sexual bother in 3,944 questionnaires completed by patients after radical prostatectomy as part of routine care. IIEF-6 scores were adjusted if a patient indicated that the reason for not having intercourse was other than lack of ability of confidence (eg, lack of partner).
main outcome measurePatient-reported outcome instruments.
resultsMedian age at surgery and preoperative IIEF-6 were 63 years and 26, respectively. Among questionnaires completed after surgery, there was moderate correlation among the IIEF-6 score and both sexual desire (Spearman rho: 0.41) and sexual bother (Spearman rho: 0.30). In men who reported high or moderate bother relating to sexual function, there was a narrow distribution of erectile function scores, with most men reporting poor function (median IIEF-6: 6, interquartile range 3, 11). For men who reported small or no problem with sexual function, the distribution of erectile function scores was wide, and particularly bimodal as a function of sexual desire. Among patients with high desire, the correlation between sexual bother and erectile function was 0.61 (ie, the poorer is your function, the greater you are bothered), whereas it was -0.081 among patients with low desire, meaning that some men are not bothered by poor erections. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: We provided useful insights to help physicians during sexual counselling after surgery for prostate cancer. STRENGTH & LIMITATIONS: The study included a large number of patients and provides evidence for implementation of patient-reported outcome insturments. Limitations include the retrospective nature of our data.
conclusionSexual desire helps explain the moderate correlation between erectile function and sexual bother. Sexual desire and bother questions should be incorporated in patient-reported outcome instruments for male sexual function. Bravi CA, Tin A, Montorsi F, et al. Erectile Function and Sexual Satisfaction: The Importance of Asking About Sexual Desire. J Sex Med 2020;17:349-352.
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