Women’s Health Bulletin

Current Issue

By Issue

By Author

By Subject

Author Index

Keyword Index

About Journal

Aims and Scope

Editorial Board

Publication Ethics

Authorship Rules and Regulations

Indexing and Abstracting

Peer Review Process

Forms

The Sexual Function of Iranian Pregnant Women: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Document Type : Meta Analysis

Authors

1 Bahman Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Nursing, Asadabaad Faculty of Medical Sciences, Asad abad, Iran

3 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

5 Spiritual Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

Abstract

Contex: Sexual function during pregnancy affects martial satisfaction of couples and increases empathy in the completion of pregnancy and women’s self-confidence with reduction in fears. Studies on the sexual function of Iranian pregnant women have shown controversial results. The present study aimed to review the sexual function of Iranian pregnant women.
Methods: The international and national databases of Web of Science/ISI, PubMed, Scopus, MagIran, and SID databases using “sex”, “sexuality”, “sexual intercourse”, “sexual function”, “sexual dysfunction”, and “pregnancy” without a time limit. We included all the papers published in Persian and English reporting the mean score of sexual function of pregnant women. Based on the pre-designed form, the required data included the name of the first authors, year of publication, sample size, research setting, questionnaire type, and methodological quality, which were extracted and recorded. Data analysis was performed in STATA version 14 using a meta-analysis method and random-effects models. The heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated utilizing the I2 test.
Results: In total, 11 articles with the total sample size of 2,657 were reviewed. The highest and lowest standard scores of sexual function were reported in the first pregnancy trimester (58.92%; 95% CI: 54.08-63.75) and the third trimester (47.70%; 95% CI: 23.18-39.56), respectively. In addition, publication bias was significant in the first (P=0.001), second (P=0.009), and third trimesters (P=0.014).
Conclusion: The sexual function of women was found to reduce through pregnancy progress. Therefore, sexual function assessment and counseling on pregnancy care seem crucial for pregnant women.

Keywords

References
1. Lund JI, Kleinplatz PJ, Charest M, Huber JD. The Relationship Between the Sexual Self and the Experience of Pregnancy. J Perinat Educ. 2019;28(1):43-50. doi: 10.1891/1058-1243.28.1.43. PubMed PMID: 31086474; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6491156.## 2. Sipiński A, Kazimierczak M, Buchacz P, Sipińska K. Sexual behaviors of pregnant women. Wiad Lek. 2004;57:281-4. PubMed PMID: 15884258. Polish. ## 3. Gałązka I, Drosdzol‐Cop A, Naworska B, Czajkowska M, Skrzypulec‐Plinta V. Changes in the sexual function during Pregnancy. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2015;12(2):445-454. doi: 10.1111/jsm.12747. ## 4. Pauleta JR, Pereira NM, Graça LM. Sexuality during Pregnancy. The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 2010;7(1):136-42. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01538.x. ## 5- GÖkyildiz Ş, Beji NK. The Effects of Pregnancy on Sexual Life. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy. 2005;31(3):201-215. doi: 10.1080/00926230590513410. ## 6. Vannier SA, Rosen NO. Sexual Distress and Sexual Problems During Pregnancy: Associations With Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction. J Sex Med. 2017;14(3):387-395. doi: 10.1016/j.jsxm.2016.12.239. PubMed PMID: 28143716. ## 7. Westheimer RK. Human Sexuality: A Psychosocial Perspective. New York City: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004. p. 343. ## 8. Naim M, Bhutto E. Sexuality during pregnancy in Pakistani women. J Pak Med Assoc. 2000;50(1):38-44. PubMed PMID: 10770049. ## 9. Nematollahzade M, Maasoumi R, Lamyian M, Asghari Jafarabadi M. Study of women's attitude and sexual function during pregnancy. J Ardabil Univ Med Sci. 2010;10(3):241-249. Persian. ## 10. Bayrami R, Sattarzadeh N, Koochaksariie FR, Pezeshki MZ. Sexual dysfunction in couples and its related factors during pregnancy. Journal of Reproduction & Infertility. 2008;9(3):271-282. ## 11. Dadgar S, Karimi F, Bakhshi M, Abdollahi M, Rahimzadeh Borj F. Assessment of sexual dysfunction and its related factors in pregnant women referred to Mashhad health centers (2017-2018). The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility. 2018;21(8):22-29. doi: 10.22038/ijogi.2018.11965. ## 12. Bartellas E, Crane JMG, Daley M, Bennett KA, Hutchens D. Sexuality and sexual activity in pregnancy. An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 2000;107(8):964-968. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.2000.tb10397.x. ## 13. DAVARI-TANHA F, REZAEE A’LAM Z, SHIRAZI M, ASKARI F, GHAJARZADEH M. Comparison of Sexual Function in Pregnant Women with Different Gestational Age. ## Maedica. 2020;15(3):335-338. doi: 10.26574/maedica.2020.15.3.335. PubMed PMID: 33312249; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7726517. ## 14. Hajnasiri H, Aslanbeygi N, Moafi F, Mafi M, Bajalan Z. Investigating the relationship between sexual function and mental health in pregnant females. IJPN. 2018;6(2):33-40. Persian. ## 15. Hajnasiri H, Moafi F, Nami M, Safaralinezhad A. Sexual dysfunction and its related factors among pregnant women referred to health centers in Qazvin, Iran. Social Health and Behavior. 2020;3(1):27-34. doi: 10.4103/SHB.SHB_5_20. ## 16. Bahrami-vazir E, Mirghafourvand M, Mohammad-Alizadeh-Charandabi S, Kamalifard M. Predictors of sexual function in pregnant Iranian adolescents. Int J Adolesc Med Health. 2019;33(1). doi: 10.1515/ijamh-2018-0069. PubMed PMID: 30807288. ## 17. Bostani-Khalesi Z, Rahebi SM, Mansour-Ghanaee M. Evaluation of women's sexual performance during first pregnancy. IJOGI. 2012;15(10):14-20. Persian. ## 18. Jamali S, Mosalanejad L. Sexual dysfnction in Iranian pregnant women. Iranian Journal of Reproductive Biomedicine. 2013;11(6):479-486. Persian. ## 19. Nezal AJ, Samii Rad F, Kalhor M, Hasanpour K, Alipour M, Montazeri A. Sexual quality of life in pregnant women: A cross sectional study. Payesh. 2018;17(4):421-429. Persian. ## 20. Abouzari Gazafroodi K, Najafi F, Kazemnejad E, Rahimikian F, Shariat M, Rahnama P. Comparison of sexual function between nulliparous with multiparous pregnant women. Hayat. 2013,18(5):55-63. Persian. ## 21. Arasteh M, Shams Alizadeh N, Ghaderi E, Farhadifar F, Nabati R, Gharibi F. Survey of the prevalence of sexual dysfunctions in Kurdish women. J Sex Marital Ther. 2014;40(6):503-11. doi: 10.1080/0092623X.2013.776653. PubMed PMID: 24228699. ## 22. Nik-Azin A, Nainian MR, Zamani M, Bavojdan MR, Bavojdan MR, Rabani Bavojdan M, Jamali Motlagh M. Evaluation of sexual function, quality of life, and mental and physical health in pregnant women. J Family Reprod Health. 2013;7(4):171-176. PubMed PMID: 24971121; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4064754. ## 23. Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Med. 2009;6(7):e1000097. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097. ## 24. Rezaei H, Niksima SH, Ghanei Gheshlagh R. Burden of Care in Caregivers of Iranian patients with chronic disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. 2020;18(1):1-11. doi: 10.1186/s12955-020-01503-z. ## 25. Farrugia M, Kirsch AJ. Application of the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement to publications on endoscopic treatment for vesicoureteral reflux. J Pediatr Urol. 2017;13(3):320-325. doi: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2017.02.005. PubMed PMID: 28285865. ## 26. Higgins JPT, Thompson SG, Deeks JJ, Altman DG. Measuring inconsistency in meta-analyses. BMJ. 2003;327:557–60. doi: 10.1136/bmj.327.7414.557. ## 27. Higgins JP, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, et al. Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions: John Wiley & Sons; 2019. doi: 10.1002/9781119536604. ## 28. Egger M, Smith GD, Schneider M, Minder C. Bias in meta-analysis detected by a simple, graphical test. BMJ. 1997;315(7109):629-34. doi: 10.1136/bmj.315.7109.629. PubMed PMID: 9310563; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2127453. ## 29. Corbacioglu Esmer A, Akca A, Akbayir O, Goksedef BPC, Bakir VL. Female sexual function and associated factors during pregnancy. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research. 2013;39(6):1165-1172. doi: 10.1111/jog.12048. ## 30. Aslan G, Aslan D, Kızılyar A, Ispahi C, Esen A. A prospective analysis of sexual functions during pregnancy. Int J Impot Res. 2005;17(2):154-7. doi: 10.1038/sj.ijir.3901288. PubMed PMID: 15538394. ## 31. Leite APL, Campos AAS, Dias ARC, Amed AM, De Souza E, Camano L. Prevalence of sexual dysfunction during pregnancy. Rev Assoc Med Bras. 2009;55(5):563-8. doi: 10.1590/S0104-42302009000500020. ## 32. Hashem S, Fatouh E, Ghoneimy G. Assessment of Female Sexual Function during Pregnancy. Journal of Nursing and Health Science. 2020;9(2):7-14## 33. Pauls RN, Occhino JA, Dryfhout VL. Effects of pregnancy on female sexual function and body image: A prospective study. J Sex Med. 2008;5(8):1915-22. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.00884.x. PubMed PMID: 18547388. ## 34. Solberg AD, Butler J, Wagner NN. Sexual Behavior in Pregnancy. Springer; 1978. p. 361-71. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4613-3973-1_29. ## 35. Erbil N. Sexual function of pregnant women in the third trimester. Alexandria Journal of Medicine. 2018;54(2):139-142. doi: 10.1016/j.ajme.2017.03.004. ## 36. Seven M, Akyüz A, Güngör S. Predictors of sexual function during pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2015;35(7):691-5. doi: 10.3109/01443615.2015.1006596. PubMed PMID: 25710683. ## 37. Erol B, Sanli O, Korkmaz D, Seyhan A, Akman T, Kadioglu A. A cross-sectional study of female sexual function and dysfunction during pregnancy. J Sex Med. 2007;4(5):1381-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2007.00559.x. PubMed PMID: 17651387. ## 38. Dalton JE, Bolen SD, Mascha EJ. Publication bias: the elephant in the review. Anesth Analg. 2016;123(4):812-3. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001596. PubMed PMID: 27636569; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5482177. ##
Women’s Health Bulletin
Volume 8, Issue 3 - Serial Number 30
July 2021
Pages 126-133
Files
Share
How to cite
Statistics