Men and women see lasting improvements in sex lives after bariatric surgery

Both men and women see lasting improvements in their sex lives after bariatric surgery, according to a new study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and presented here at ObesityWeek 2015, the largest international event focused on the basic science, clinical application and prevention and treatment of obesity. The weeklong obesity conference is hosted by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and The Obesity Society (TOS).

More than 2,000 patients enrolled in the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS) 2 study completed a questionnaire assessing sexual desire, activity and satisfaction and the impact of their physical health on sexual function one month before and in each of five years after bariatric surgery. Nearly 80 percent of study subjects were women.

The first year after surgery, patients reported an increased frequency of sexual desire and activity, and greater satisfaction with sexual functioning, along with decreased limitations in sexual activity related to physical health. By year five, all sexual functioning measures remained significantly improved after surgery (51.8% vs. 31.5% of women and 58.3% vs. 27.5% of men, were moderately-to-very satisfied with sexual functioning) and 39 percent of women and 55 percent of men were sexually active more frequently.

"Limited research has suggested that bariatric surgery is associated with short-term improvements in sexual function. This study shows these improvements are long-lasting," said Kristine J. Steffen, PharmD, PhD, Associate Professor/Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy at North Dakota State University in Fargo.

Among women, Hispanic/Latina ethnicity, fewer depressive symptoms before surgery, and greater decreases in depressive symptoms and greater weight loss after surgery, were related to improvement in sexual satisfaction. For men, younger age, non-white race, fewer depressive symptoms before surgery and a bigger decline in depressive symptoms, discontinuation of anti-depressant medication, no history of cardiovascular disease, and hypertensive medication use post-surgery were related to improvement in sexual satisfaction.

"People generally don't think of sexual dysfunction as a condition related to obesity, but this study suggests that improvements in sex life are an additional benefit that goes beyond weight loss and improvement of other obesity-related conditions and diseases including type 2 diabetes," said John M. Morton, MD, MPH, president of the ASMBS and Chief, Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study.