Background & Aim: Sexuality is an important part of women’s life that influences on quality of life and general well-being. There are many factors influencing the female sexual function including biological, psychological, physiological, couple relationship and sociocultural factors. Pregnancy plays an important role in the sexual function and behavior of women. This study aims to evaluate the sexual function and determine the prevalence of sexual dysfunction among pregnant women.
Material & Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between April 2012 and september 2013 using 257 healthy pregnant women who referred to antenatal clinic, paymaneh Hospital in Jahrom. The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) questionnaire was used for sexual function assessment. The reliability of the instrument was assessed by Cronbach's alpha (α=0.7). The data were analyzed by SPSS16 software, using ANOVA and Post Hoc (LSD) Tests.
Results: The mean age of respondents was 26.45±4.49 years. 143, 69 and 45 pregnant women were in their first, second and third trimester respectively. the results showed that (79.1%) were categorized as potentially sexual dysfunction (FSFI score<26.5) while only 52 (20.9%) had normal sexual function (FSFI score>26.5). The sexual dysfunction among pregnant women was rated 23.4% in the first, 30.5% in the second and 46.2% in the third trimester. There was a significant difference between scores of all FSFI domains with trimesters (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Prevalence of sexual dysfunction is high during pregnancy and reaches higher levels in the third trimester. Pregnant women and their partners need counseling about physical and psychological changes in pregnancy.
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