The interplay between the obsessive-compulsive disorder and sexual function: a systematic review

A 13-study review finds OCD symptoms track with female desire and arousal problems, but the male sexual function data is a wash

Journal: Sexual medicine reviews | Published: 2026-06-30 | Type: Systematic Review | PMID: 42391182 Authors: Doroldi Davide, Cialini Lorenzo, Origlia Giulia, Giannini Tessa, Blasutto Barbara, Del Casale Antonio, Spitoni Grazia, Boldrini Tommaso, Ciocca Giacomo (Sapienza University of Rome; Pegaso Digital University) Funding/COI: Not listed

Summary

This is a PRISMA 2020-compliant systematic review pooling 13 studies on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and sexual function, organized around the Desire-Excitement-Plateau-Orgasm-Resolution (DEPOR) model. The Doroldi et al., 2026 review found OCD symptoms are associated with sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm dysfunction in women, but the evidence for men — orgasmic function and genital pain specifically — was too thin and inconsistent to draw conclusions.

Claims

• 13 articles met inclusion criteria after searching PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science through February 26, 2026
• OCD symptoms are associated with dysfunction in sexual desire, arousal, and orgasm in women
• No consistent association found between OCD symptoms and male orgasmic function
• No consistent association found between OCD symptoms and genital pain
• Study quality was assessed with the QUIPS (Quality in Prognosis Studies) tool

Study Quality

The review follows PRISMA 2020 reporting standards and uses a recognized bias-assessment tool (QUIPS), which is more rigor than many reviews in this space bother with. But the underlying evidence base is small — 13 studies covering multiple distinct outcomes (desire, arousal, orgasm, genital pain) across both sexes means each individual association is likely built on a handful of studies, not a deep body of literature. The abstract itself concedes this: "given the limited number of specific studies on this topic, further research is needed."

The abstract doesn't report the total pooled sample size, the individual study designs (cross-sectional vs. longitudinal), or specific effect sizes/statistics for any of the associations claimed. Without that, "associated with" is doing a lot of unquantified work — readers can't tell if this is a strong signal across large cohorts or a fragile pattern across small convenience samples.

Red Flags

• Funding source and conflicts of interest are not disclosed in the record
• No sample size, effect sizes, or confidence intervals reported in the abstract
• Only 13 included studies spread across at least four distinct sexual-function domains and two sexes — thin coverage per subgroup
• Asymmetric findings (women's data is more consistent than men's) could reflect a real sex difference or simply that more studies exist on female sexual dysfunction and OCD, not clear which from the abstract

Strengths

• PRISMA 2020-compliant methodology with a pre-specified conceptual framework (DEPOR model)
• Four-database search strategy (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science)
• Formal risk-of-bias assessment using the QUIPS tool
• Explicit acknowledgment of evidence limitations rather than overstating conclusions

Verdict

A methodologically sound but evidence-starved review — the PRISMA/QUIPS scaffolding is solid, but 13 studies split across four sexual-function domains and two sexes leaves each individual claim thinly supported, and the abstract's refusal to report sample sizes or effect sizes makes it impossible to judge how strong any of these associations actually are. Worth a skim for the framework, not a citation for the numbers.