Clarifying Perceived Priorities of Reproductive Health Concerns in Diabetic Women

Abstract

Background and Objective: Women with diabetes often have concerns regarding their reproductive health and sexual well-being. These concerns represent all the important issues that affect the health of the reproductive system and its function, which can also affect the general and social health of the person. Therefore, the present study aimed to explain the reproductive health concerns of women with type 1 diabetes under treatment at Hami and Khazarian Clinic in Hamadan, Iran. Materials and Methods: The present research was conducted using the exploratory qualitative method. An in-depth unstructured interview was carried out with 17 married women aged 20-45 years with type 1 diabetes, and the data collected was analyzed using the constant comparison method. Results: The main themes obtained were sexual performance and satisfaction with six subcategories, including physical, psychological, social, reproductive, supportive, and informational, as well as the marital dimension (sexual performance, marital satisfaction). Conclusion: Since diabetes at younger ages is spreading rapidly and this problem affects the quality of marital and sexual life, the need to identify the perceived priorities of reproductive health concerns and design necessary interventions is felt.