Sexual dysfunction during primiparous and multiparous women following vaginal delivery

Abstract

Normal sexual functioning comprises of sexual activity together with transition through the phases from arousal to relaxation with no problem. Delivery has different effects on body organs, especially, on genitalia the disorder of which can cause sexual dysfunctions. In this study, an attempt is made to compare postpartum sexual dysfunction among primiparous and multiparous women. This descriptive cross sectional study was done on 564 primiparous (331) and multiparous (233) women chosen from among those who were present at health and clinical centres in Yazd, Iran. Data were gathered through a questionnaire consisting of demographics and questions related to sexual problems before and after 3-6 months of delivery. Both open-ended and closed items were included in the questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed in consultation with two health educators, a midwife, two gynaecologists and an expert in questionnaire validation. All registered data were analyzed by SPSS-15 software. Dyspareunia was shown to decrease after pregnancy in both primigravidae and multigravidae women (P<0.05). Libido decreased during multigravidae (P<0.05) while the difference was not significant during primigravidaes (P>0.05). Also, vaginal loosening was significantly increased in multigravid women (P<0.05) while it did not significantly change in primigravidae (P>0.05). The difference was not significant in primigravidae nor in multigravidae according to post coital bleeding, post coital itching, an-orgasmia, oral sex and anal sex. In conclusion, based on the results of this study, delivery has limited effects on sexual function of primiparous and multiparous women. Contradictory results of similar studies show the need for a précise critical appraisal and finding pitfalls of previous studies. Designing more valid surveys with larger sample size to determine the effects of delivery and parity on sexual function is recommended.