OBJECTIVES: The Sexual Function Questionnaire (SFQ-28) is a well established and validated self-reported screening and outcomes measure of female sexual dysfunction (FSD). In order to reduce patient burden and focus on symptoms of FSD, two domains (partner and enjoyment) have been removed to create an abbreviated version (ASFQ). The objective of this study was to ensure that the removal of these domains had not changed the psychometric properties of the measure. METHODS: Forty seven pre-menopausal women with diagnosed female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD), primarily cognitive arousal difficulties, completed the ASFQ, the Women’s Sexual Distress Questionnaire (WSDQ), an FSAD daily diary and a meaningful benefit question (MBQ) as part of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 3-way crossover trial. Baseline data were used to assess internal consistency and convergent validity (with the FSAD diary).  Known groups validity (comparing those with high versus low levels of distress on the WSDQ at end of treatment) and responsiveness of the arousal domains of ASFQ were also assessed. RESULTS: The ASFQ domains demonstrated excellent internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.73 to 0.89. All ASFQ domains showed excellent convergent validity with the respective items on the FSAD diary.  Excellent known groups validity was demonstrated for the desire and arousal cognitive domains with those with higher distress scores showing poorer scores on these dimensions of the ASFQ. Moderate effect sizes were observed in the arousal domains for those who indicated they had a meaningful improvement in their arousal disorder during the trial. CONCLUSIONS: The results confirm that the removal of two domains from the SFQ-28 has not impacted on its psychometric properties or responsiveness.  The ASFQ is recommended for use in studies where patient burden needs to be minimized.