Impacto da gestação na função sexual feminina

Abstract

PURPOSE. To investigate the impact of pregnancy on female sexual function. METHODS. It was conducted an analytical, cross-sectional study, with 181 non-pregnant and 177 pregnant women. The study included women aged between 18 and 45 years, pregnant and non-pregnant, premenopausal, sexually active and with steady partner and excluded those in antidepressant use or with depression diagnosis. Among these women, 11 (6.2%) were in the first trimester, 50 (28.2%) in the second trimester and 116 (65.5%) in the third trimester of pregnancy. The evaluation was done by an interview in which was applied the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program, version 16.0. In order to compare the mean FSFI values between pregnant and non-pregnant women the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test was used. RESULTS. Sexual dysfunction among pregnant women was 40.4% and among non-pregnant women 23.3%, being significant the difference between the scores of the studied groups (p=0.01). It was also significant (p<0.0001) the difference between the mean global FSFI values of the groups. There were significant differences between pregnant and non-pregnant women regarding desire (p<0.0001), excitation (p=0.003), lubrication (p=0.02), orgasm (p=0.005) and satisfaction (p=0.03). The same was not observed regarding pain. CONCLUSION. We conclude that pregnancy negatively influences female sexual function, particularly the desire and excitement domains, revealing the importance of addressing the issue by professionals dealing with pregnant women.