Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34839232›Full record

ArticleSexual medicine2022

Sexual Desire, Depressive Symptoms and Medication Use Among Women With Fibromyalgia in Flanders.

Roel Van Overmeire, Lara Vesentini, Stephanie Vanclooster, Emilie Muysewinkel, Johan Bilsen

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Sexual medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Body Image, Medication Use, and Mental Health among Women with Fibromyalgia in Flanders, Belgium.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Roel Van OvermeireMental Health and Wellbeing Research Group, Department of Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Ixelles, Belgium. Electronic address: roel.van.overmeire@vub.be.
Lara VesentiniMental Health and Wellbeing Research Group, Department of Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Ixelles, Belgium.
Stephanie VancloosterMental Health and Wellbeing Research Group, Department of Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Ixelles, Belgium.
Emilie MuysewinkelInteruniversity Centre for Health Economics Research, Department of Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Ixelles, Belgium.
Johan BilsenMental Health and Wellbeing Research Group, Department of Public Health, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Ixelles, Belgium.
Centre hospitalier Etterbeek-Ixelles · BEVrije Universiteit Brussel · BE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFibromyalgia (FM) is associated with sexual dysfunction, though much less is known about the sexual desire, and especially dyadic and solitary sexual desire, among women with fibromyalgia.

aimTo investigate on the one hand the global sexual desire, the dyadic sexual and solitary sexual desire, and on the other hand the association with depressive symptoms, fibromyalgia symptoms and medication use among women with fibromyalgia in Flanders, Belgium.

methodsAn online survey was spread through the Flemish league for Fibromyalgia Patients to be completed by women with fibromyalgia. The sexual desire inventory-2 (SDI-2) was used to measure sexual desire (global, dyadic, solitary), the VASFIQ for fibromyalgia symptoms, and the PHQ-2 for depressive symptoms, while also including questions on demographic factors (time since FM, age) and medication usage (antidepressants, pain medication, sleeping medication).

main outcome measureGlobal sexual desire, dyadic sexual desire and solitary sexual desire were studied in relation to depressive symptoms, medication use and fibromyalgia symptoms.

resultsOne hundred and three women with FM answered the survey. Depressive symptoms were significantly associated with a lower global, dyadic and solitary sexual desire, as was the use of antidepressant medication. The association between solitary sexual desire and depressive symptoms disappeared when controlled for antidepressant medication. Age, fibromyalgia symptoms nor time since diagnosis were significantly associated with any form of sexual desire.

conclusionDepressive symptoms and antidepressant medication, and not fibromyalgia symptoms, were associated with decreased sexual desire of women with FM. As antidepressant medication and depressive symptoms are associated with a decreased sexual desire, more attention should be paid towards the mental health issues associated with fibromyalgia, as well as the prescription of antidepressant medication. This study is the first to investigate sexual desire among women with fibromyalgia in Flanders, and one of the few internationally to have done so. It is limited by its cross-sectional design, and for not providing information on men with FM. Van Overmeire R, Vesentini L, Vanclooster S, et al. Sexual Desire, Depressive Symptoms and Medication Use Among Women With Fibromyalgia in Flanders. Sex Med 2022;10:100457.

Indexed as

DepressionFibromyalgiaSexual Desire

Identifiers

PMID34839232
PMCPMC8847810
OpenAlexW3214798709

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.