Primipara Mothers who delivered vaginally or by cesarean section, is there an impact on the sexual function?

Abstract

Background: The strength of the muscles of the pelvic floor and other supporting structures of the pelvic organs are affected by various events that occur during a woman's lifetime. Pregnancy and childbirth have a pronounced influence on maternal anatomy and physiology. Aim of the Work: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of the mode of delivery on the sexual function (arousal-pleasure-orgasm-desire) -among a representative sample of Egyptian primiparae. Subjects and Methods: This cross-sectional observational comparative study was conducted at Ain Shams University Maternity Hospital during the period between November 2017and July 2018 on 260 women who had single uncomplicated delivery within a duration of not less than 6 months and not more than 2 years from recruitment of the study. Results: Pain was significantly positively correlated to the age [r=0.319, p=0.013] and social class [r=0.276, p=0.028]. Both satisfaction and the overall sexual function score was also significantly positively correlated to social class[r=0.275, p=0.032; r=0.237, p=0.048; respectively]. Pelvic floor muscle strength was poorly correlated to sexual function. Conclusions: The study revealed a significant difference in pelvic floor muscle strength between women who delivered vaginally and those who delivered by Cesarean section. However, there was no significant difference in sexual function between women who delivered vaginally and those who delivered by Cesarean section. Pelvic floor muscle strength was poorly correlated to sexual function. Recommendations: Cesarean section on demand should not be considered as prophylaxis against sexual dysfunction. A larger, nation-wide based study should be performed for assessment of sexual dysfunction among women of different age groups and parities.