Women's perception of sexuality during pregnancy and after birth

Background:  Pregnancy and birth mark a distinct period in the life of a woman. Hormonal alterations and bodily and social changes impact on women's physical well‐being, mood, relationship and sexuality. Most existing research on sexuality during pregnancy focuses on the quantitative analysis o...

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Veröffentlicht in:Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology Jg. 46; H. 4; S. 282 - 287
Hauptverfasser: Gerda, TRUTNOVSKY, Josef, HAAS, Uwe, LANG, Edgar, PETRU
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Melbourne, Australia Blackwell Publishing Asia 01.08.2006
Schlagworte:
Adolescent
Adult
Attitude
Austria
Female
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Longitudinal Studies
Pain Measurement
post-partum
Postpartum Period - physiology
pregnancy
Pregnancy - physiology
sexual interest
Sexuality
women
Women's Health
Austria
ISSN:0004-8666, 1479-828X
Online-Zugang:Volltext
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Zusammenfassung:Background:  Pregnancy and birth mark a distinct period in the life of a woman. Hormonal alterations and bodily and social changes impact on women's physical well‐being, mood, relationship and sexuality. Most existing research on sexuality during pregnancy focuses on the quantitative analysis of sexual activities, but neglects subjective experiences of women. Aims:  To examine women's sexual needs, sexual activities, subjective importance of sexuality and contentment with sex life, focusing on the changes over the course of pregnancy and post‐partum. Methods:  Twenty‐six women completed a series of three extensive interviews in early and late pregnancy, as well as 6 months post‐partum. A semiqualitative approach, combining visual analogue scales and a semistructured interview with self‐developed questions, was used. Results:  The statistical analysis revealed a significant decrease of perceived ‘importance of sexuality’, ‘importance of sexual intercourse’ and ‘contentment with present sex life’, from prepregnancy over early pregnancy to late pregnancy, which was followed by a slight increase in the post‐partum period. Samples from the structured interviews provide a detailed insight into female experiences, perceptions and opinions, and demonstrate the high interindividual variability. Conclusion:  Doctors can provide invaluable advice to women regarding the psychosexual changes and help them to understand the normal fluctuations in sexual interest during pregnancy and the post‐partum.
Bibliographie:istex:A966D7275440A2C3FE985598DACBBB1CAD4CCE4E
ArticleID:AJO592
ark:/67375/WNG-DSGT844D-0
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0004-8666
1479-828X
DOI:10.1111/j.1479-828X.2006.00592.x