The rising rate of obesity in the U.S. adult population creates a need for more attention to be given to sexuality and sexual function.  There are many myths and misconceptions concerning women and higher body mass indexes.  It appears there is a notion of a negative relationship between hip and waist size and sexual frequency and that women with larger body sizes have a more difficult time finding partners than leaner women do.  Several studies have looked into these notions and found they are NOT true.

The conclusions of a study reviewed* are as follows:

1. Overweight and obese women do not report a decrease in the frequency of sexual encounters as compared with their leaner counterparts.

2. Overweight or obese women are not shunned more by their sexual partners.

3. If you are one of those women who feel that your weight is interfering with your sexual activity, according to the studies, it has less to do with your weight than you might think.  The numbers in almost all sexually based categories studied between women with BMI’s less than 25, between 25 and 30 and higher than 30 are the same.  There is little to no statistical difference in the age range under 45 years of age that was studied.  In one category, “Lifetime history of sexual intercourse with a male,” the women with a BMI of 25-30 and higher had a significantly higher percentage than women under a 25 BMI. 

*Kaneshiro B, et al. Obstst and Gynecol. 2008

The point I take from this is that a woman is, or can be sexual, according to her own attitude and self-confidence.  If you are having difficulty with how sexually attractive you feel, consider whether it could have more to do with your own perception of yourself as reinforced by society, Hollywood and advertising, than it is with fact. Feel free to share your thoughts or questions here.

– Dr. Donald Tice