The topic of sexual health in the field of bariatric surgery is rapidly growing despite its relative novelty, with research largely focused on male sexual problems while studies on women are mostly shaped around the axis of pregnancy.
Key Findings
Methods
A total of 217 publications on bariatric surgery and sexual health were identified in the Web of Science database spanning from 1996 to 2025.
The Web of Science database was searched on June 19, 2025, using topic fields including title, abstract, author keywords, and keyword plus fields.
Search terms combined ('Obesity surgery' OR 'bariatric surgery') AND ('sexual life' OR 'sexuality' OR 'sexual health' OR 'sexual problems' OR 'sexual function' OR 'sexual dysfunction') without time restrictions.
The average publication age was 7.66 years.
Analyses were performed using R (R 4.2.2.) and results were presented under basic information, treemap, trend topics, and thematic map.
Results
The United States had the most publications in the bariatric surgery and sexual health field, and Obesity Surgery was the leading journal.
The leading journal in the field was identified as Bariatric Surgery (referred to as Obesity Surgery in context).
Publication counts were analyzed across countries, with the United States ranking highest.
The annual number of publications fluctuated over the study period.
Results
The highest number of annual publications on bariatric surgery and sexual health was reached between 2017 and 2019.
Publications span from 1996 to 2025, representing nearly three decades of literature.
Annual publication counts fluctuated throughout the study period.
The peak publication period was identified as 2017–2019.
Results
Treemap analysis identified weight loss, quality of life, and erectile dysfunction as the most prominent keywords in the literature.
Weight loss appeared as a keyword in n=26 publications (6%).
Quality of life appeared as a keyword in n=24 publications (6%).
Erectile dysfunction appeared as a keyword in n=12 publications (3%).
Results
Thematic map analysis identified 'erectile dysfunction' as a theme that drives the field, while 'quality of life' is a well-developed but isolated topic.
'Pregnancy' and 'contraception' are themes that continue to develop.
'Infertility' and 'overweight' were identified as the topics that have been on the agenda for the last 2 years.
'Quality of life' was characterized as well developed but isolated, meaning it has limited connection to other themes in the field.
Quality of life and body reconstruction topics constitute a limited portion of the literature.
Discussion
Research on sexual health in bariatric surgery is largely focused on male sexual problems, while studies on women are mostly shaped around the axis of pregnancy.
The bibliometric analysis revealed a gender imbalance in the focus of research in this field.
Female-focused studies predominantly centered on pregnancy rather than broader aspects of women's sexual health.
The authors highlight 'the need for research specifically addressing women's sexual health.'
Studies specifically addressing women's sexual health beyond reproductive outcomes are underrepresented in the literature.
Conclusions
The field of sexual health in bariatric surgery is characterized as rapidly growing despite its relative novelty.
The literature in this area began in 1996, making it a relatively young field.
Despite growth, the total number of publications remains modest at 217 over approximately 29 years.
The authors note that 'quality of life and body reconstruction topics constitute a limited portion of the literature.'
What This Means
This research examined the body of scientific literature on the relationship between bariatric (weight-loss) surgery and sexual health, using a method called bibliometric analysis — essentially a systematic study of published research patterns. The researchers searched a major scientific database and found 217 publications on this topic published between 1996 and 2025, analyzing trends in who published, what topics were studied, and how the field has evolved over time. They found that the United States produced the most research, the journal Obesity Surgery was the primary outlet for this work, and publication activity peaked between 2017 and 2019.
The analysis revealed important patterns in what aspects of sexual health have and haven't been studied. Research has heavily focused on erectile dysfunction and male sexual problems, while studies involving women have largely been limited to topics like pregnancy, contraception, and infertility rather than exploring women's sexual wellbeing more broadly. Emerging topics in the most recent two years include infertility and being overweight, suggesting the field is beginning to expand. Quality of life — despite being a commonly mentioned keyword — appears relatively disconnected from other active research themes.
This research suggests there is a significant gap in the scientific literature when it comes to understanding how bariatric surgery affects women's sexual health beyond reproductive concerns. As bariatric surgery continues to be a common intervention for obesity, which itself affects sexual health, this gap means that healthcare providers and patients currently have limited evidence to draw on regarding women's sexual wellbeing after surgery. The authors call for more research specifically focused on this underexplored area.
Tunç Tuna P, Uslu E. (2025). Sexual Health in Bariatric Surgery: A Bibliometric Study.. Obesity surgery. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-025-08090-2