Female Sexual Dysfunction And Associated Factors During Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate female sexual function and the effect of patient characteristics on sexual function during pregnancy.STUDY DESIGN: This cross-sectional study included 365 healthy pregnant women. Female sexual function was assessed using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire. Correlation of age, gravidity, parity, level of education, and gestational age with total FSFI score and each domain were assessed. Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman's rho tests were used for statistical analysis.RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 26.5 +/- 5.1 years, and 103 (28.2%), 116 (31.8%), and 146 (40%) were in their first, second, and third trimesters, respectively. The total FSFI score had a mean of 20.83 in the study population. As age of the pregnant women increased, scores for desire decreased (r = -0.124, p = 0.019). As gravidity and parity of the pregnant women increased, the total FSFI score decreased (r = -0.127, p = 0.016, and r = -0.113, p = 0.013, respectively). As level of education increased, the total FSFI score increased (r = 0.203, p = 0.000).CONCLUSION: The total FSFI score could be interpreted as sexual dysfunction in all trimesters. Domain scores of first and second trimesters were comparable and were significantly higher than those in the third trimester. There was a positive correlation between sexual function and educational level.