Weight loss surgery and sexual function and hormones in women with severe obesity
Follows women with severe obesity before and after weight loss surgery.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Female Sexual Function and Sex Hormones
Key facts
- Where
- Cairo, EgyptSee the site
AI summary: who the study is looking for
From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.
The trial is looking for women aged 18 to 45 with severe obesity who are scheduled for a first weight loss surgery and have a stable, sexually active partner.
- Age
- 18 to 45 years
- Sex
- Women only
- Disease stage
- Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 kg/m² or more, or 35 kg/m² or more with health problems linked to obesity. Scheduled for a first sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.
- Earlier treatment
- Cannot have had weight loss surgery before. Cannot use certain medicines that affect sexual function, such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, beta-blockers, spironolactone or hormone replacement therapy. Hormonal contraceptives are allowed only if stable for 3 months or more and continued during the study.
Main reasons for not taking part
- Not sexually active, or no stable partner
- Post-menopausal (no periods for 12 months or more without other cause)
- Currently pregnant or breastfeeding
- Previous weight loss surgery, including revision procedures
- Partner with erectile dysfunction or using erectile dysfunction medicines
Read by machine on 12 November 2026.
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 45 years old?
Source: NCT07446972, who can take part
Where in Egypt
- Faculty of Medicine Cairo UniversityCairo, EgyptContact: Mahmoud El Azhary, LecturerTaking people
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations
Print a page for my doctorTrial details
- Who runs it
- Cairo University
- Trial code
- NCT07446972
- Record updated
- 10 June 2026
- Original description
The goal of this observational study is to learn about how weight loss surgery (also called bariatric surgery) affects sexual function and sex hormone levels in women with severe obesity. It will also look at how the surgery affects mood, quality of life, body image, and the partner's sexual health.Read full original descriptionShow less
Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Female Sexual Function, Sex Hormones, and Psychological Well-Being: A Prospective Cohort Study With Partner Assessment
The goal of this observational study is to learn about how weight loss surgery (also called bariatric surgery) affects sexual function and sex hormone levels in women with severe obesity. It will also look at how the surgery affects mood, quality of life, body image, and the partner's sexual health.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Does sexual function improve after weight loss surgery? * Do sex hormone levels change after weight loss surgery? * Are these changes linked to improvements in mood and quality of life? * Does the partner also experience changes in sexual function?
Researchers will compare each participant's results before surgery to their results 6 months after surgery. This helps show how things change over time.
This study will include about 40 women who:
* Are between 18 and 45 years old * Have severe obesity and are scheduled for weight loss surgery at Cairo University Hospital * Have a stable, sexually active partner relationship
What participants will do:
* Complete questionnaires about sexual function, mood, quality of life, and body image (twice: before surgery and 6 months after) * Provide a blood sample to measure sex hormone levels (before surgery and 6 months after) * Their partners will complete a short questionnaire about their own sexual function
This research is important because sexual health is a key part of quality of life that is often overlooked in obesity care. Understanding how weight loss surgery affects sexual function, hormones, and mood can help doctors better counsel patients about what to expect after surgery. This is one of the first studies in Egypt to examine these questions and the first to include partner assessment.
The study will start in January 2026. Results will be available by late 2026.
Inclusion: Female gender; Age 18-45 years (childbearing period); Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥40 kg/m² or ≥35 kg/m² with obesity-related comorbidities, meeting international criteria for bariatric surgery; Scheduled for primary bariatric surgery (sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass); Presence of a stable, sexually active intimate partner relationship; Sexually active; Willingness to participate and provide informed consent; Ability to complete Arabic-language questionnaires.
Exclusion: Antipsychotics/psychotropic drugs; Hormone replacement therapy; Partner with known erectile dysfunction or use of erectile dysfunction medications; Previous bariatric surgery (revisional procedures); History of medication use that can interfere with sexual function, including:; Major uncontrolled medical conditions:; History of pelvic floor surgery or gynecological malignancy; Women who are not sexually active; Post-menopausal women (amenorrhea ≥12 months without other cause); Current pregnancy or lactation; Antidepressants; Beta-blockers; Spironolactone; Hormonal contraceptives (unless stable for ≥3 months and continued throughout study); Chronic heavy smoker (smoking index ≥400 pack-years); Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent.