Approach to sexuality and sexual dysfunction by reproductive doctors in France

Abstract

Summary Numerous studies have examined the negative impact of medically assisted reproduction (MAR) on patients’ sex lives. It appears necessary to question patients and sometimes to counsel them about management for their sexual and reproductive health. In this study prospective, quantitative, multicenter trial conducted from December 2018 through February 2019, we contacted the offices of all clinical MAR centers registered with the Agence de la Biomedecine (Biomedical Agency) to obtain a list of email addresses of the doctors working there and sent them questionnaires. We received 171 responses. The respondents were very predominantly women (89%), and their median age was 34 years (range: 28–64). Overall, 56% always discussed sexual function during their first consultation, 30% often, and 14% sometimes. We compared two groups: the “regular discussion” (RD) group, which included the doctors (n = 147) who responded “always” and “often”. The “occasional discussion” (OD) group included those (n = 24) who responded “sometimes”. The RD group discussed scheduling sexual relations less often than the OD group (P = 0.029). The RD and OD groups differed significantly in their rates of questions about the frequency of sexual relations (P = 0.04) and about problems of penetration (P = 0.025) and desire (P = 0.041); the RD group asked more often about all of these topics. In the RD group, 37% of the respondents had a sex therapist working at their center, and in the OD group, 21%, while respectively 9% and 17% did not know to whom or where to refer these patients, and 93% and 75% thought a sex therapist with expertise in MAR would be useful at their center. This study shows deficiencies in the management of sexual dysfunctions in MAR patients. Some actions that might improve the situation include: the creation of a directory of sex therapists, the creation of job lines at MAR centers for sex therapists specialized in this field, and the development of patient brochures and questionnaires.