Can long-term treatment of Hashimoto's thyroiditis effectively improve sexual dysfunction in women

Aims: Numerous studies have identified thyroid diseases as a significant risk factor for women’s sexual health. This study aimed to evaluate how treatment of women diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis affected their sexual function and psychological well-being, comparing them with a control group. Methods: In this study, 61 sexually active women with permanent primary hypothyroidism, diagnosed for at least one year and treated for at least 6 months between January 2022 and December 2023, were included. The inclusion criteria for group 1 were as follows: participants had to have overt hypothyroidism with a thyroid stimulating hormone level >10 IU/ml and a serum free T4 level <0.86 ng/dl. The control group comprised 31 sexually active, age-matched, healthy women. Results: Response to treatment was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index questionnaire and the Beck Depression Inventory by interview. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of Female sexual function index parameters and Beck depression scores (p: 0.198 and p:0.353 respectively) except in TSH levels (p: 0.016). Conclusion: Long-term (at least 6 months) treatment of hypothyroidism may be able to improve sexual dysfunction in women. Further studies of larger series and longer treatment follow-up are needed to confirm the present findings.