Sexual wellbeing
Female Sexual Function Self-Assessment (FSFI-6)
A private, validated 6-question check — the brief Female Sexual Function Index — across desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. You'll get your score and what it suggests. It's a screen, not a diagnosis, and nothing you enter leaves your device.
This is a screen, not a diagnosis. A low score is common and very treatable; it points to a conversation worth having with a clinician, not a verdict about you.
FSFI-6 self-assessment
The FSFI is a validated research questionnaire reproduced here for self-screening. This is general information, not a diagnosis or medical advice, and it can't tell you why a score is low. Low scores are common and very treatable — a clinician can help.
Start here
What the FSFI-6 is, and what it isn't
The FSFI-6 is a short, validated screen — six questions, one for each area of sexual function measured over the past four weeks: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. It's a brief version of a longer research questionnaire (the Female Sexual Function Index) that clinicians and researchers have used for years. Add up the answers and you get a single number that flags whether a concern is worth exploring.
What it isn't is a diagnosis. A number can't say why something feels off, whether it's a passing phase or a lasting issue, or what would help — only a clinician can do that. It also can't distinguish a rough few weeks from a real change. Treat the result as a prompt: if it points to a concern, that's a reason to ask a question, and a good clinician will take it from there.
The six areas
What each question is asking about
Each item stands in for one domain of sexual function. A single area scoring low can matter as much as the total, so the result flags any that stand out.
Desire & arousal
How often interest and arousal show up. Both dip with stress, fatigue, relationship strain, and some medications.
Lubrication & orgasm
The physical response — becoming lubricated and reaching orgasm. Hormones, menopause, and medications all play a part.
Satisfaction
How you feel about your sexual life overall, beyond any single mechanic — often the part that matters most day to day.
Pain
Discomfort or pain with penetration (dyspareunia). More frequent pain scores lower, and pain especially warrants a look.
When to get help
When it's worth seeing a clinician
Low desire that distresses you
Persistently low or absent interest that bothers you or affects your relationship is a recognized reason to seek help — not something you have to just accept.
Pain with sex
New or ongoing discomfort or pain during sex (dyspareunia) deserves evaluation. It's treatable, and an infection is one of the causes worth ruling out.
A sudden change
A noticeable shift from what's normal for you — in desire, arousal, or orgasm — is worth a conversation, especially if it came on quickly.
After a new medication or menopause
Symptoms that started with a new medication (some antidepressants and hormonal treatments in particular) or around menopause often have a clear, manageable cause.
A primary-care doctor or gynecologist is a fine place to start, and a sexual-medicine specialist can help with anything more persistent. If discomfort comes with unusual discharge, itching, or odor, it's also worth ruling out an infection.
Next steps
Related checks and care
Symptom checker
Match symptoms like discharge, itching, or pain to what might be worth testing for.
BV, yeast, or an STI?
Sort common causes of irritation, odor, or discharge — and what to do next.
Recurrent BV or yeast
A prevention plan for infections that keep coming back and disrupt comfort.
Find testing & care
Clinics, at-home kits and free options to rule out an infection behind discomfort.
Erectile function (IIEF-5)
The men's counterpart: a validated screen for erectile difficulty and what it can signal.
Sources
Where this comes from
The questionnaire, scoring, and cutoff reproduce the published, validated FSFI-6 (Isidori et al., 2010), itself derived from Rosen's original Female Sexual Function Index (2000). The guidance on causes and when to seek care follows ACOG and NICHD patient information on female sexual health. We don't reinterpret the instrument; we present it and its published cutoff.
Medically Reviewed & Fact-Checked · Updated
Reviewed by EasySTD Editorial Team
Compiled and checked by EasySTD's editorial team against CDC and public-health sources. This is educational information, not a substitute for advice from a licensed clinician. Our editorial guidelines →
4 Sources
Data & references
- Rosen R, et al. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). J Sex Marital Ther, 2000https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10782451/
- Isidori AM, et al. Development and validation of a 6-item version of the FSFI (FSFI-6). J Sex Med, 2010https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20233279/
- ACOG: Your Sexual Health (female sexual dysfunction)https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/your-sexual-health
- NICHD: Sexual Dysfunction & Dysfunctional Sexual Responsehttps://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/menstruation
EasySTD is an information and comparison directory, not a healthcare provider. This tool is general information based on a published, validated questionnaire: it is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a test result, and it does not create a doctor-patient relationship. If a concern bothers you, talk with a licensed clinician.
Good to Know
FSFI-6: frequently asked questions
What the score means, whether a low result is a problem, and how private this is.
What is the FSFI-6?
The FSFI-6 is a brief, validated six-question version of the Female Sexual Function Index, a widely used research questionnaire. It asks one question about each of six areas of sexual function over the past four weeks — desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain — and adds the answers into a single score. Researchers developed it as a quick screen: a total at or below 19 flags a possible concern worth exploring, while a higher total is in the range without an indicated problem. It's a starting point for a conversation, not a diagnostic test.
Does a low score mean something is wrong with me?
No. A low score means the screen picked up a concern worth talking through with a clinician — nothing more. Sexual function naturally varies with stress, sleep, relationships, hormones, medications, and life stage, and a single questionnaire can't tell the difference between a passing phase and a lasting issue. It also can't say why. Many people score low at some point, and most causes are common and very treatable. Read the result as an invitation to ask a question, not a verdict on you.
Is low desire or trouble with orgasm common?
Very. Low or absent desire is one of the most frequently reported sexual concerns among women, and difficulty reaching orgasm is common too — both can come and go with stress, relationship dynamics, medications (some antidepressants in particular), hormonal shifts, menopause, or medical conditions. Being common doesn't mean you have to live with it: if it bothers you or has changed noticeably, that's exactly the kind of thing a clinician or a sexual-medicine specialist can help with.
Could pain during sex be an infection?
It can be. Pain or discomfort during sex (dyspareunia) has many causes — vaginal dryness, muscle tension, skin conditions, endometriosis, and hormonal changes among them — but infections are on the list too. Bacterial vaginosis, yeast, trichomoniasis, and some STIs can cause soreness, irritation, or pain, sometimes alongside unusual discharge, itching, or odor. Because it's treatable and worth ruling out, new or persistent pain with sex deserves evaluation, and testing can be part of that.
Is what I enter private?
Yes. This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are scored on your own device and are never sent to a server, saved, or shared — close the tab and they're gone. It's general educational information based on a published, validated questionnaire; it can't diagnose you or replace a conversation with a clinician.
What should I do with my result?
If your score is above the cutoff and nothing is bothering you, there's likely nothing to act on. If your score is at or below 19, or any single area stands out — especially pain with sex, or a sudden change — consider raising it with a clinician; a primary-care doctor, gynecologist, or sexual-medicine specialist can help sort out the cause and options. If your answers were mostly "no sexual activity," the number matters less than how you feel about desire and satisfaction, so lead with that in the conversation.
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