The Impact of COVID−19 on Female Sexual Health

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID−19), announced as a pandemic by the World Health Organization, recently has dominated people’s lifestyle. The impact of COVID−19 seems to be relevant to the sexual health as well. Methods: This prospective study was conducted on two occasions involving 764 female patients between March and April 2020—before and during the time of social quarantine. The sexual function was assessed using the Polish version of the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Every patient filled out the survey concerning socio-demographic characteristics as well as the influence of SARS-CoV−2 pandemic on their lives. Results: The overall FSFI score before the pandemic was 30.1 ± 4.4 and changed to 25.8 ± 9.7 during it. Scores of every domain: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain decreased as well (p < 0.001). There was statistically significant association between the workplace and the change of FSFI scores before and during COVID−19 pandemic (p < 0.01). We noticed the biggest decrease in FSFI score in the group of women who did not work at all (5.2 ± 9.9). Religion had a statistically important impact on level of anxiety (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The main finding of our study was the influence of COVID−19 pandemic on the quality of sexual lifestyle and frequency of intercourse among Polish women.

The disruptive impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual behavior of a German-speaking population

“…At the same time, research teams worldwide have gathered cross-sectional and prospective data to shed light on the question of the impact of physical distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual behavior based on scientific evidence. Changes in sexual behavior have been described by current studies collecting data during the first physical distancing measures in China ( Li et al, 2020 ), the United Kingdom ( Jacob et al, 2020 ), France ( Landry et al, 2020 ), Italy ( Mollaioli et al, 2021 ), Poland ( Fuchs et al, 2020 ), Turkey ( Yuksel and Ozgor, 2020 ) and by an internationally distributed online survey from the United States for English speaking participants ( Lehmiller et al, 2020 ).…”

Sexuality during the COVID-19 pandemic: The importance of Internet

“…A Polish study ( Fuchs et al, 2020 ) also found that the number of women with sexual dysfunction (overall FSFI score of 26 or below) before the pandemic was 15.3%, while this figure increased to 34.3% during total lockdown. They also found a decreased frequency of sexual intercourse compared to the previous period.…”

COVID-19 et sexualités : l’émergence d’un nouveau paradigme des sexualités

“…Si les équipes des États-Unis de l’Inde ou de la Chine ont produit le plus grand nombre d’articles ( n > 20), on comprend moins aisément pourquoi les équipes françaises n’ont publié qu’un seul article ( Landry et al, 2020 ) alors que les équipes italiennes ( Caruso et al, 2020 , Panzeri et al, 2020 ) et espagnoles, pays dans lesquels la pandémie s’est développée de façon comparable à celle de la France, en ont publié beaucoup plus. D’autres études ont été publiées au Royaume-Uni ( Jacob et al, 2020 ) ou en Pologne ( Fuchs et al, 2020 ).…”