Postpartum Women Express High Frustration With Sex Life

TOPLINE:
A survey of around 2000 German women up to 24 months postpartum finds that 66% say they are frustrated with their sex life, whereas only 2%-6% say they are “very much” satisfied with their sex life.
METHODOLOGY:
This was a cross-sectional survey of 2106 women up to 24 months postpartum.
It was a convenience sample of women recruited by social media.
The women were given an online survey plus the Pelvic Organ Prolapse/Urinary Incontinence Sexual Questionnaire, IUGA-Revised (PISQ-IR).
TAKEAWAY:
The mean age of participants was 32 years.
In  all, 56% had at least one spontaneous vaginal delivery, 18% had at least one delivery using forceps or vacuum extraction, and 28% underwent a caesarean section.
Overall, 30%-32% had a perineal tear during the last birth, and having a perineal tear was associated with poorer scoring on the PISQ-IR.
Over 28% of participants say they are not sexually active, either with a partner or alone.
Even among sexually active women, only 6% reported being “very much” satisfied with their sex life.
Ongoing breastfeeding was negatively associated with lower subscores on these two domains of the PISQ-IR: “Desire” and “Arousal.”
In all, 66% of the cohort agrees with the statement, “My sex life frustrates me.”
IN PRACTICE:
The authors observed that “The pelvic floor is exposed to differing stresses and trauma depending on the mode of birth. At the same time, the pelvic floor plays a crucial role in female sexual functioning.”
The authors concluded that “Awareness and information about postpartum pelvic floor disorder and their influence on sexuality should be addressed early on by midwives and obstetricians…[but] there is a lack of evidence-based interventions capable of improving sexual functioning.”
SOURCE:
The corresponding author is Nadine Scholten of the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. The study appeared in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica.
LIMITATIONS:
Limitations included an observational and cross-sectional design and a lack of generalisability of results.
DISCLOSURES:
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. No funding sources were disclosed.
 
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