(763) Drinking Alcohol and Sex in the Czech Republic

Introduction Alcohol is widely used to modulate mood and social interaction, yet its effects on sexual function remain inconsistent across studies and may differ by sex and drinking pattern. Clarifying dose–response relationships between alcohol use and sexual arousal and orgasmic function has direct implications for clinical counseling and screening in sexual medicine. Objective To examine sexual arousal, orgasmic function and other modalities across discrete alcohol-dose categories defined by standard drinks (e.g., 0, 1, 2, 3–4, ≥5), using validated sex-specific instruments. To further describe how alcohol is a significant risk factor in sexual wellbeing. Methods In this cross-sectional survey of Czech adults (n=1,345), we analyzed women who consume alcohol (n=440), men who consume alcohol (n=451), and abstinent women (n=200) and men (n=254; abstinence = no alcohol in the past 12 months). Women completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI); men completed the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF). Alcohol exposure was measured by the AUDIT score and by alcohol-dose categories (Czech standard drink = 20 g ethanol). We summarized variables descriptively and compared groups using t-tests/ANOVA (or nonparametric equivalents). Dose–response associations were estimated with multivariable linear regression for total and domain scores and ANCOVA across alcohol-dose categories; Models were adjusted for prespecified confounders (e.g., age, relationship status, education, nationality) Results Among men, higher alcohol dose was associated with progressively lower scores on all IIEF domains examined: erectile function, sexual desire, orgasmic function, and satisfaction - with a clear dose–response across drink categories (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, ≥5 standard drink equivalents). In women, FSFI domains showed threshold effects: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain were broadly similar between abstainers and one drink, but declined from two to three drinks onward. Notably, sexual desire in women displayed peaking at one or two drinks before decreasing at higher doses. Compared with drinkers, abstainers exhibited a mixed profile, with some domains higher and others lower; these contrasts should be interpreted cautiously because the abstainer category may include both lifelong abstainers and individuals abstinent only in the recent period. Conclusions Conclusions: Greater alcohol consumption is associated with poorer sexual function in both women and men, with evidence of sex-specific gradients. AUDIT itself does not correlate with sexual impairment but can still be used in screening of substance disorders. Longitudinal studies are warranted to clarify temporality and mechanisms. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: multiple ETFs