The state of digital health adoption in Nevada: A narrative review of infrastructure, policy, and health equity.

Sexual health, defined as a state of physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being in relation to sexuality, and not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction, or disability (), constitutes an essential component of health in women. Sexual health is associated not only with the absence of illness and the presence of well-being, but also with the frequency of sexual activity. Previous studies have shown that sexual inactivity is associated with a higher prevalence of cancer, bladder disorders, major surgery, visual impairment, mental health conditions, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, hearing loss, dementia, psychological problems, dermatological conditions, musculoskeletal problems affecting the joints, bones, or back, gastrointestinal disorders, alcohol abuse, chronic wound care, and periodontal disease (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). A recent study reported that life satisfaction is positively associated with female sexual functioning (). Furthermore, a systematic review found significant associations between positive indicators of sexual health and lower levels of depression and anxiety, as well as higher quality of life and greater life satisfaction in both women and men (). Despite the existing literature suggesting that sexual health positively influences health-related outcomes, such as cardiovascular health (), there may be exceptional circumstances. For example, a survey conducted in the general population during the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions found that sexual dysfunction was not significantly associated with participants’ quality of life (). Currently, the DSM-5-TR () classifies female sexual dysfunctions into female orgasmic disorder, female sexual interest/arousal disorder, and genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder. In addition, other conditions that may also affect women include substance/medication-induced sexual dysfunction, another specified sexual dysfunction, and unspecified sexual dysfunction. The prevalence of female sexual dysfunctions is high. According to some authors, it ranges between 19 and 50%, in a non-clinical American population (), whereas other studies report prevalence rates between 40 and 50%, in a non-clinical Chilean population, and in Spanish women diagnosed with pelvic floor disorders (; ), and some findings even suggest rates as high as 98.5% in middle-aged Latin American women (). Prevalence estimates reported across studies vary considerably. However, a recent systematic review examining studies published between 2015 and 2024 in healthy women of reproductive age found a pooled prevalence of female sexual dysfunction of 47.81% (), suggesting that this figure may represent a more reliable estimate of prevalence. The causes of female sexual dysfunctions may be organic or psychological in nature (, ). Despite their high prevalence, sexual dysfunctions in women continue to be underdiagnosed and undertreated ().