Sexual Experiences of Infertile Women: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Background: It is suggested that stress related to infertility causes marriage conflicts and decreases in the frequency of sexual intercourse.

Aim: This study aimed to explore the experiences of the sexuality of infertile women.

Patients and Methods: A phenomenological design was used in this study.  We conducted face-to-face, semistructured, in-depth interviews with 11 infertile women. The interviews were audio-recorded, and a thematic approach  was used to assess the data.

Results: The average age of the women was 33.05 ± 3.40 years, and their age of first sexual intercourse was 23.0 ± 2.8 years  and all of them are legally married. The durations of experiencing the problem of infertility were as follows; 3-5 years in 33%, 6-10 years in 27%, and 11  years and above in 38%. According to interpretative phenomenological analysis, two main themes emerge. Two main themes were determined:  Perception of Sexuality and Sexual Problems. The results show that infertile women have a higher risk for sexual dysfunction than fertile women.   

Conclusion: These findings suggest that the diagnosis of infertility is an important factor in assessing the differences in the sexual satisfaction of women. In infertility counseling, health professionals must explain the gender differences. Also, infertile couples must encourage to share each other’s feelings  and this may help couples to cope with the communication problems they may experience.