Reviewing Sexual Function After Delivery and Its Association with Some of the Demographic Marital Satisfaction Factors

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Desirable sexual function has an important role in strengthening the marital life of the couples. Sexual disorders can cause mental pressure and affect quality of life and marital relationship. METHODS: This was a descriptive analytical study in one group and one phase covering multivariables. The study sample included 384 women after delivery period that had the following inclusion criteria: the age of at least 18 years, delivery in 38-42 pregnancy weeks, primiparous and multiparous women, living in the city, single pregnancy, and six weeks to twelve months elapsed from the delivery. The required data such as reproductive and sexual function index were collected through reporting questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods using software SPSS. RESULTS: The findings of the study indicated that the most prevalent disorder of the sexual relationship in postpartum was dyspareunia and the least prevalent was the sexual desire. The majority of the study sample (77.1%) had marital satisfaction and 58.6% had the desired sexual function. There was no significant association between sexual function and delivery, age, the type of delivery and breastfeeding, but there was a significant association for other factors such as the time elapsed after the delivery and primiparity or multiparity (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: It is recommended that sexual problems after delivery be placed on the list of health teaching issues to pass easily this period of time. Women should be assured that these problems gradually would be improved and they should learn using proper techniques to decrease dyspareunia which is a sexual disorder in postpartum period.

Postpartum Sexual Functioning and Its Predicting Factors among Iranian Women

“…The study findings also showed that demographic factors, including age, education, family income, breast-feeding and parity were associated with women's sexual functioning. These findings are supported by other authors (4,28).…”

“…Findings of this study showed that women who had given birth more than six months ago had better sexual functioning in the domains of orgasm, satisfaction and pain. Another study in Iran also showed a significant association between amounts of time passed from delivery and improved sexual functioning scores (28). In our study, multiparous women had better sexual functioning in the domains of desire, orgasm, arousal and satisfaction.…”

“…Findings of the study showed that the majority of participants (76.3%) had sexual dysfunction; this figure was higher than the prevalence of postpartum sexual dysfunction reported by other researchers in Iran. For example, rates of postpartum sexual dysfunction reported in other studies were about half of the population as shown in some other studies in Iran (13,28). In a study in Brazil, sexual dysfunction was reported at 43% among postpartum women (29).…”

“…Many other variables have been proposed by several studies as predictors of sexual functioning in postpartum women. Religion, onset of menstruation, living with partners, depression, number of children, working hours in employed women and fear of a new pregnancy were recognised as the other predictors of postpartum sexual function (2,6,8,14,16,28,34). However, among these, a number of simple variables were used in our prediction model; this had the benefit of making the model simple and easy to use.…”

Prevalence of dispareunia in women within postpartum one-year period and related factors

“…Sexuality is a natural part of life (Boroumandfar et al, 2010) and one of important determinants of quality of life (Botros et al, 2006). When sexual wellbeing is deteriorated, sexual disfunctions appear.…”