Abstract
Introduction: A healthy sexual life would contribute to a lasting intimate couple relationship; pregnant women were susceptible to physical, psychological and social changes leading to sexual alterations and dysfunction in pregnancy. In ***, despite not being a novel domain, sexuality has not been extensively evaluated due to the influence of Eastern tradition, which creating promotes unsecured feelings of insecurity when talking about sex.Aim: To investigate the female sexual function alteration during the 1st trimester of pregnancy and some related factors among *** women.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study comprising 383 women aged from 18 years old having routine antenatal visits at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, *** Hospital from April 2016 to March 2017. Data were collected by interviews using is Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire.Main outcome measures: Subjects’ sexual function alteration, using the validated *** version of Female Sexual Function Index.Results: The prevalence of women with female sexual function alteration before pregnancy was 53% and in 1st trimester was 88.8%. The frequency of intercourses during 1st trimester of pregnancy is lower than before pregnancy (p<0.05). The main reasons of no sexual activity during pregnancy were fear of harming the fetus (75.1%) and prefer not to be satisfied in the short-term rather than hurt the baby (73.5%). Factors affected female sexual function were age, time of living-together, age of 1st sexual intercourse, pregnancy planning, obstetrical history, sexual initiative, religion, academic level, and jobs (p<0.05).Conclusions: Sexual function alteration among first trimester pregnant women is a problem which should be considered, and medical staff should provide counseling to them to improve the quality of their sexual life and maintain normal course of pregnancy.
The Effect of Progestogen-Only Contraceptive Methods on Female Sexual Function in First-Time Users: A Cross-Sectional Study