Raloxifene, a selective estrogen re...

Raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, is used to treat and obstruct osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. While this remedy acts as an estrogen agonist in bone it has estrogen antagonist efficiencys on uterine and breast tissues. Although the general intent on vaginal lubrication is unknown, reports of increased excitable flushes suggest that raloxifene could adversely affect sexual functioning. Modugno and colleagues investigated the weight of raloxifene on sexual function in postmenopausal women

They ask fored information from a subset of patients taking part in a large international studious mood of more than 7,700 women assigned to receive raloxifene (60 or 120 mg daily) or placebo for treatment of osteoporosis. More than 900 women were asked to completed a questionnaire about sexuality at the baseline assessment and again after 36 month of treatment. The questionnaire was derived from the McCoy Sex Scale Questionnaire, and it assessed sexual activity and desire athwart the previous six months.

Questionnaires were complet on 651 women treated with raloxifene and 329 women who received placebo. In the raloxifene assemblage 58.2 percent were married, compared with 547 percent in the placebo arrange In both groups, the mean age was 68 years, and the mean age at menopause was 48 years. The average carcass mass index was 25 kg by [m.sup.2] in both groups. At baseline, the of the same heights of sexual activity were similar in each cluster (47.4 and 44.5 percent). The arranges also reported similar desire for sexual activity (588 and 560 percent) At follow-up 297 percent of women treated with raloxifene reported no change in sexual feelings and 341 percent reported improvement. In the placebo collection 26.6 percent reported no change and 372 percent reported improvement. Similarly, 308 percent of raloxifene-treated women reported no change in sexual vexed questions and 38 percent reported improvement, whereas 291 percent in the placebo form into groups reported no change, and 40 percent reported improvement.

The authors terminate that raloxifene therapy was not associated with a decrease in sexual function or desire in postmenopausal women

Anne D Walling, MD

Modugno F et al. weight of raloxifene on sexual function in older postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. Obstet Gynecol February 2003;101:353-61

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

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