Objective: To investigate the long-term decline in sexual health among women with Parkinson’s disease (PD) over a two-year period.

Background: Sexual dysfunction (SD) is a prevalent but underrecognized non-motor symptom of PD, with significant impacts on quality of life. Women with PD report decreased libido, arousal difficulties, and orgasmic dysfunction. While the motor and non-motor symptoms of PD are well documented, there is limited knowledge about how these symptoms progressively impact sexual health in women. Understanding these changes is essential for developing interventions aimed at preserving the quality of life for woman living with PD.

Method: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted involving a cohort of 74 women with PD, who were followed for a period of two years. Two remote assessments were carried out: one at the baseline (AV1) and another after 24 months (AV2). Data collected included sociodemographic factors, clinical history, motor and non-motor symptoms (as measured by the MDS-UPDRS I & II), cognitive function (using the T-MoCA), dopaminergic medication use (measured in LEDD), and sexual health assessed by the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Statistical analyses employed the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and non-parametric ANOVA for repeated measures.

Results: FSFI total scores showed a statistically significant decline from AV1 to AV2 (p = 0.0012), with the most pronounced decrease observed in the orgasm domain (p = 0.0004). In contrast, no significant changes were found in motor (p = 0.1095) or non-motor (p = 0.7362) symptom severity scores despite a significant increase in LEDD dosage (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that worsening sexual health in women with PD occurs independently of worsening motor and non-motor symptoms.

Conclusion: The results highlights the progressive decline of sexual health in women with PD, particularly in orgasmic function, over two years. The findings underscore the importance of addressing sexual health as part of a multidisciplinary approach to PD management. Increased awareness among healthcare providers and targeted interventions could help mitigate the impact of PD on female sexual well-being.

Figure 1

References: Nóbrega KCC, Nascimento IAPDS, Souza BRA, Gonçalves RA, Martins TS, Santos GF, Silva BEAD, Helene Frazão A, Roque AC, Savica R, Pimentel Piemonte ME. The impact of motor, non-motor, and social aspects on the sexual health of women living with Parkinson’s disease. J Parkinsons Dis. 2025 Feb 24:1877718X251315375. doi: 10.1177/1877718X251315375. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39995067.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/sexual-health-decline-in-women-with-parkinsons-disease-a-two-year-follow-up-study/