It may not come as a surprise to you that obesity is associated with increased body image dissatisfaction and decreased sexual satisfaction, but a study that was just published online yesterday in JAMA Surgery (doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2013.5022) found that women lost about 33% of their body weight at the end of one and two years after surgery, and that they reported “significant improvements in overall sexual functioning and specific domains of sexual functioning: arousal, lubrication, desires, and satisfaction.” Given that about half of women who seek bariatric surgery to treat their obesity report sexual dysfunction and psychosocial distress, these findings are really promising. Also of note, the women experienced significant improvements in reproductive hormone levels, as well as in body image.
We have known for some time now that bariatric surgery is associated with improvements in medical diseases like diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea, but now there’s proof that it’s good for your sex life, too!