Vaginal Anatomy and Sexual Function

Objective: To describe vaginal anatomy related to sexual function in women.

Methods: One hundred four women presenting for gynecologic care (mean age 55.8 years) completed questionnaires assessing sexual function and underwent measurements of vaginal caliber and length, and grading of vulvovaginal atrophy.

Results: Women who were not currently sexually active had a higher mean body mass index. Current sexual activity was not associated with differences in vaginal length or introital caliber. Among 73 sexually active women, 30 had one or both symptoms of dyspareunia and vaginal dryness, and 43 had neither symptom. Menopausal status, current use of estrogen, introital caliber, and vaginal length were not different in women with dyspareunia, vaginal dryness, or both when compared to women having neither symptom. Premenopausal women with dyspareunia, vaginal dryness, or both had significantly higher global sexual function scores, reflecting worse sexual function, when compared with premenopausal women without these symptoms (0.61 +/- 0.16 versus 0.46 +/- 0.15, respectively; P = .02); however, there was no significant difference in postmenopausal women (0.60 +/- 0.12 versus 0.61 +/- 0.12).

Conclusion: Vaginal anatomy, measured by introital caliber, length, and vulvovaginal atrophy, does not correlate well with sexual function, particularly symptoms of dyspareunia and vaginal dryness.