SANTIAGO - Sexual dysfunction affects more than half of menopausal Hispanic women over 40, an 11-nation study said Wednesday.

The Latin American Network of Climacteric Research found that 56 percent of menopausal women aged 40 and above suffer from sexual dysfunction in the countries studied.

"Sexual desire disorder is the most outstanding symptom during the climacteric period, very often caused by vaginal dryness, something that is reversible through therapy," study director Juan Enrique Blumel said.

He said 46.6 percent of women in the study were afflicted by vaginal dryness and that 68.2 percent of married women were no longer sexually active.

By cities, Quito in Ecuador had the highest rate of sexual dysfunction with 98.5 percent, followed by Montevideo with 94.5 percent and Cochabamba, Bolivia with 86.3 percent.

The lowest incidence of sexual dysfunction in above-40 menopausal women was found in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, with only 21 percent, and Piura, Peru, with 32.1 percent.

The research looked at sexual dysfunction among 8,000 women aged 40-59 in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.