Avis NE, et al. - In a cohort of middle-aged women of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds, researchers examined sexual function, compared differences between pre-and early perimenopausal women, and investigated sociodemographic, health-related, and psychosocial (including psychological, behavioral, and relationship) factors related to sexual function. They studied six domains of sexual function in 3,167 women in the baseline cohort of the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Outcomes suggested that most aspects of sexual function were greatly influenced by relationship variables, attitudes toward sex and aging, vaginal dryness, and cultural background rather than the transition to early perimenopause.