Assessment of Quality of Life and Sexual Function in ladies with Pregnancy-Related Skin Changes

Abstract

Background: Pregnancy is characterized by immunologic, metabolic, endocrine, and vascular changes, which lead to skin changes, making pregnant women suffer from body image disorder, physical performance, and mental health affection which adversely affect their sexual activity and quality of life. Objectives: To evaluate the impact of pregnancy and pregnancy-related changes on the quality of life and sexual function. Patients and Methods: This case-control study involved 160 females divided into 4 groups: 40 pregnant females in the 1st trimester, 40 in the 2nd trimester, 40 in the 3rd trimester, and 40 nonpregnant females as the control group. Every participant filled out the Arabic version of the Female Sexual Dysfunction Index (FSDI) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results: There was a significant difference between the three trimesters regarding the types of skin changes (p=0.006). Acne vulgaris was the most common change in the 1st-trimester group. There was a significant difference between the studied groups as regards the female sexual function (p>0.001 regarding FSDI total score). There was no significant difference between females with skin changes compared to those without regard to their sexual function during 1st, 2nd, and 3rd trimesters (P=0.07,0.5,0.6 resp) regarding FSDI total score. Regarding the DLQI score, there was a significant difference between both the 2nd and 3rd trimesters and control groups (P2=0.01and P3=0.009 respectively) with higher mean values of the DLQI score among females with skin changes. Conclusion: Pregnancy negatively affected female sexual function and quality of life. Skin changes during pregnancy significantly affected the quality of life of pregnant females.