**Epidemiology of Sexual Dysfunctions**

**1** 

*Iran* 

**Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunctions:** 

*1Department of Family Health, Mother and Child Health Research Center,* 

*2Midwifery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, 3Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Public Health, Tehran,* 

This chapter is intended to provide an evidence-based overview of the worldwide epidemiology of sexual dysfunction since the 1990s in general populations of different countries, allowing for the generalization of findings at the given population level. The descriptive and analytic literature on sexual function was identified through searching conventional databases, literature surveys and references. This chapter is organized as follows: we first review epidemiological concepts focusing on the issue of determining

Since only recently sexual function and sexual problems have been openly discussed in most societies and cultures (Tiefer, 2001), few epidemiologic data exist until the middle of the twentieth century. The large population-based study of normative data on female sexuality was published by Kinsey and coworkers in 1953. Recent studies, however, have presented a

Epidemiology is a scientific study of the distribution and determinants of diseases in populations. Epidemiological data are the basis for assessing the overall impact of a condition on a given society (Prins et al., 2002). These data are needed for public health systems in order to recognize the impact of the studied condition in the population and organize screening, diagnostic and treatment strategies .One of the basic epidemiological measures of outcome occurrence is *prevalence* which is defined as the proportion of a population exhibiting a health condition during a specific time interval (Simons et al. 2001). Moreover, prevalence is characterized by the proportion of a given population which has the condition at a given time. While prevalence can refer to any time period, researchers typically distinguish among point, period and lifetime prevalence. An important conceptual issue is to define sexual dysfunction which is used when it is clinically diagnosed. Another

prevalence; then, we review the female and male sexual dysfunctions prevalence.

more accurate picture of sexual dysfunction prevalence.

**2. The epidemiology of sexual dysfunction** 

**1. Introduction** 

Azita Goshtasebi1, Samira Behboudi Gandevani2,

*Iranian Institute for Health Sciences Research, ACECR, Tehran,* 

**A Systemic Approach** 

and Abbas Rahimi Foroushani3

*University of Medical Sciences, Tehran,* 
