Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol 38, Issue 6 418-425, Copyright © 1976 by American Psychosomatic Society

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

Sexual life and sexual frigidity among women developing acute myocardial infarction

LA Abramov

The various aspects of the sexual life of 100 female patients aged 40-60 with acute myocardial infarction were compared with those of a control group of 100 female patients of the same age, hospitalized for other diseases. Sexual frigidity and dissatisfaction were found among 65% of the coronary patients as compared with 24% of the controls. The commonest cause for sexual dissatisfaction was premature ejaculation or impotence in the husband. The incidence of premarital sexual relations was greater among the frigid patients when compared with those who achieved orgasm. The coronary patients had an earlier menopausal age than the controls. The number of coronary patients who underwent artificial abortions in the past was lower than in the control group. All these findings were statistically significant at a level of P less than 0.05. No connection was found between extramarital relations and sexual frigidity. There was no relation found between sexual frigidity and diabetes, essential hypertension, marital status, pathological gynecological findings, or localization of the infarction. Until now, sexual frigidity and dissatisfaction appear to have been a neglected aspect in the female coronary patient.

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