Author(s)

Cândice Cezimbra Miranda¹, Amanda Vilaverde Perez², Bruno Ribeiro Bossardi², Luiza Cabreira Brust², Fernanda Santos Grossi¹, Edimárlei Gonsales Valério^1,2,3, Janete Vettorazzi^1,2,3,4*, Maria Celeste Osório Wender^1,2,3,4

¹PostgraduationProgram in Health Sciences: Gynecology and Obstetrics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). Rua Ramiro Barcelos, Santa Cecilia, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
²FAMED, UFRGS, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, Santa Cecilia, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
³Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine (FAMED), UFRGS, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, Santa Cecilia, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
⁴Service of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), Rua Ramiro Barcelos, Santa Cecília, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Introduction: Pregnancy is a unique situation and involves changes in sexuality. The aim is to evaluate sexual function and satisfaction in pregnant women under prenatal care provided by the public health system. Method: Cross-sectional study with pregnant women receiving ambulatory care in the public health system in the Southern region of Brazil conducted between November 2014 and September 2015. Results: 283 pregnant women were studied. The mean age was 27.7 ± 6.3 years; 64% were white and 31.1% were nulliparous. In the total sample, 8.50% were in the first trimester of pregnancy, 37.4% were in the second trimester, and 54.1% were in the third trimester. The rate of global sexual dysfunction (score < 26 points) was 55.5%, following the application of The Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Sexual dysfunction was significantly more prevalent in the third trimester (62%) compared to the first (33.3%) and second (50.9%) trimesters (p = 0.015). There was a significant difference in all domains, except in the desired domain, according to the trimester. Pregnant women in the third trimester showed significantly lower scores compared to those in the first trimester in the domains with significance. Conclusion: The prevalence of sexual dysfunction among pregnant women in the public system was high. Knowing that more than 50% of the pregnant women presented sexual dysfunction, it is essential to approach sexuality during prenatal care involving the couple.

Sexual Dysfunction, Pregnancy, Female Sexual Function Index, Sexuality, Sexual Function

Miranda, C. , Perez, A. , Bossardi, B. , Brust, L. , Grossi, F. , Valério, E. , Vettorazzi, J. and Wender, M. (2019) Sexual Function in Pregnant Women in the Public Health System. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 9, 764-774. doi: 10.4236/ojog.2019.96076.