A new grading system for female sexual dysfunction based on the female sexual function index in Egyptian women: a cross-sectional study

Objective: To provide a grading system that accurately reflects the grades of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) severity. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Assiut University Hospital. It included 500 women who answered the Arabic version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) after getting their consent. A gradient of FSD severity was created, classifying FSD into five grades: severe, moderate, mild to moderate, mild, and no FSD. Results: According to our grading system, FSD was detected in 339 women (67.8 %); Mild FSD in 20.4%, mild to moderate in 41.6%, moderate in 15.3%, and severe in 22.7%. Mean scores of desire show a linear trend of reduction from 3.8 in mild to 3.36 in mild to moderate to 2.25 in moderate and markedly reduced to 2.1 in severe grade. This difference was highly statistically significant (p= 0.002). The same was reported in arousal, orgasm, and satisfaction domains, while in lubrication and pain domains, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: In this study, our grading system was complementary to the FSFI. Moreover, it seems to be more practical and useful in grading the severity of FSD. Keywords: Female sexual dysfunction; FSFI; grading; sexual function.