Prevalence of Sexual Dysfunctions and their Associated Factors in Pregnant Women in an Outpatient Prenatal Care Clinic

Abstract

Objective To determine the prevalence of sexual dysfunction and its associated factors in pregnant women. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study including 262 pregnant women aged 18 years or older with gestational age between 10 and 35 weeks. Women with urinary tract infections and conditions of gestational risk were excluded. The Pregnancy Sexual Response Inventory (PSRI) questionnaire was used. We performed a univariate descriptive analysis, and comparisons between the mean values of the sexual function domains were made using the Student t-test. The chi-squared test was used to determine the association between the independent and dependent variables. The prevalence ratios, with their respective 95% confidence intervals, were also estimated, and a multivariate analysis was performed. Results A total of 64.9% of women reported a decrease in the frequency of sexual activity during pregnancy. Slightly more than half of the women (50.8%) were satisfied, and arousal was reported as excellent/good by 30.5% of them. The frequency of sexual difficulties/dysfunctions increased with pregnancy, rising from 5.7% to 58.8%, and pain during sexual intercourse was reported by 45.8% of them. Having higher education degree decreased the chance of being sexually dissatisfied by 50%. The total PSRI score showed a significant decrease from the prepregnancy period (mean score = 89.8, “excellent”) to the pregnancy period (mean score = 59.2, “good”). Conclusion The mean sexual function score during pregnancy was classified as good, although most pregnant women reported at least one type of alteration in the sexual function domains, and the report of dissatisfaction was more frequent in women with lower schooling.

Sexual Dysfunction and Related Factors during Pregnancy at a Tertiary Health Facility in Southwestern Nigeria

“…Sexual problems were more prevalent in women who were educated up to tertiary level. This contradicted the findings by Faruk et al [25] and Guendler et al [21] in Turkey and Brazil respectively, who reported that this level of education was associated with reduced risks of sexual dysfunction during pregnancy. Our hypothesis is that since more education could result in better health-seeking behavior, these more educated respondents were better able to identify aberrations in their sexual patterns, and were less reluctant to divulge it.…”

“…Sexual domains of arousal and orgasm, especially in the last trimester of pregnancy, had the lowest FSFI scores in this study. Previous studies [11,21] also documented low FSFI score in arousal, but higher scores in orgasm. Since majority of the respondents admitted to having sex during pregnancy in order to satisfy their sexual appetite and also claimed sexual satisfaction, the reduction in the FSFI score in orgasm domain in our study may not be unconnected with psychological inhibition which could follow the fear of adverse obstetric outcomes (miscarriage, membrane rupture, infection) reported by the respondents.…”

Gestational Diabetes as a Predictor of Sexual Dysfunction in Pregnant Women

“…Such cases can be due to diabetes-induced psychological problems or the adverse effects of medications used by these patients [9,26]. Sexual desire reduces during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester [1]. Additionally, 80% of women with gestational diabetes do not think about sex, which may be due to their reduced sexual desire following high-risk pregnancy stresses [1].…”

“…Sexual desire reduces during pregnancy, especially in the third trimester [1]. Additionally, 80% of women with gestational diabetes do not think about sex, which may be due to their reduced sexual desire following high-risk pregnancy stresses [1]. Psychological changes such as concerns about pregnancy and change in lifestyle and physical symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, and increased urination can be among other causes of reduced sexual desire [27].…”

“…exual function is regarded as a part of women's health and a major part of life, a multidimensional phenomenon affected by psychological, biological, and interpersonal factors [1]. During pregnancy, sexual activity is affected by physical, psychological, and emotional changes and wrong beliefs and thoughts.…”