Sexual Function and Satisfaction among Women Undergoing In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) in the West of Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: We haven’t found any reported study that addressed sexual function and satisfaction in infertile women who are undergoing IVF treatment in the west of Iran. Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate sexual performance and satisfaction among women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Western Iran. Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 170 women from December 2022 to March 2023. The participants were selected by convenience sampling until the sample size was reached. The participants were included in the study as available sampling. Women completed the demographic questionnaire, FSFI (female sexual function index), and Linda Berg’s Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire. For data analysis, we used the Stata version 14 (StataCorp, College Station, TX) and we considered the P-value less than 0.05 significant. Result: There was a significant relationship between husband occupations, economic status, marriage duration, period of infertility, cause of infertility, and intercourse times with sexual satisfaction (P<0.05). The highest percentage of the obtained score was related to pain (51.6%) and the lowest was related to desire (38%). All of the patients with weak sexual function had weak sexual satisfaction and 60.19% of the patients with good sexual function had good sexual satisfaction (P<0.001). Conclusion: Women with weak sexual function had weak sexual satisfaction. Policymakers should consider strategies, such as counseling and psychological support for women during the treatment process to help them cope with their problems, especially psychological problems.