Evaluation of the relationship between sexual functions and depressive symptoms among pregnant patients during the second trimester

The prevalence of sexual dysfunctions in pregnant women and the correlated factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Sexual functions are negatively affected during pregnancy with the emergence of physical, hormonal, mental, emotional, and behavioral changes; however, there is no cumulative knowledge about the global prevalence of sexual dysfunction (SD) in pregnant women and the correlated factors in SD.

AIM

The study aimed to determine the prevalence of SD among pregnant women and the factors correlated with their SD scores.

METHODS

A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies focusing on SD in pregnant women were conducted in the PubMed, EBSCOhost, Web of Science, Turkish Medline, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Ovid databases by using the following combination of keywords: "pregnant" OR "pregnancy" AND "sexual dysfunction."

OUTCOMES

Nearly 70% of pregnant women were at risk for SD. The age of the pregnant woman, the spouse's age, and the duration of marriage were negatively correlated with the SD score, while the education level was positively correlated with it.

RESULTS

Initially, 5644 studies were identified: 693 studies were evaluated for eligibility and 668 were removed following the exclusion criteria. A total of 25 studies involving 6871 pregnant women were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled SD prevalence in pregnant women was 69.7% (95% CI, 59.9%-77.9%).

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

The results of this study can be used in the organization of prenatal care, especially for pregnant women at high risk for SD.

STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS

This meta-analysis is the first to reveal the global prevalence of SD and the factors correlated with SD scores in pregnant women. The most important limitation of this study is that it analyzes documents showing pregnant women at risk for SD according to an unconfirmed measurement tool for pregnant women.

CONCLUSION

Most pregnant women experience SD symptoms. More research is needed, specifically on validated tools that assess pregnancy-specific SD symptoms.

Female Sexual Function in Twin Pregnancy

INTRODUCTION

The incidence of twin pregnancy is estimated at 1 per 80 single pregnancies. As the topic of sexual function among women with multiple pregnancy is insufficiently developed, we believe it is appropriate to raise this subject.

METHODS

A prospective study was conducted on 100 women during subsequent trimesters of pregnancy.

RESULTS

From a group of 100 women, 54 women were primiparous, while 46 women had a history of previous delivery. The mean overall FSFI (female sexual function index) was found to be 24.3 ± 6.1. Mean FSFI was the highest in the first trimester at 25.6. The result decreased successively to 24.8 ± 7 and 22.6 ± 8.4 in the second and third trimesters, respectively. The patient's place of residence had a crucial impact on their FSFI score. The results were considerably higher for residents of small and medium towns or cities-24.4 ± 3.8 and 25.9 ± 4.9, respectively-while for those living in rural areas, the FSFI reached only 21.7 ± 5.4.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study shows that the FSFI decreased throughout twin pregnancy. The lowest observed FSFI occurred in the third trimester, while the highest FSFI occurred during the first trimester.

Biological, Psychological, and Social Determinants of Depression: A Review of Recent Literature

Depression is one of the leading causes of disability, and, if left unmanaged, it can increase the risk for suicide. The evidence base on the determinants of depression is fragmented, which makes the interpretation of the results across studies difficult. The objective of this study is to conduct a thorough synthesis of the literature assessing the biological, psychological, and social determinants of depression in order to piece together the puzzle of the key factors that are related to this condition. Titles and abstracts published between 2017 and 2020 were identified in PubMed, as well as Medline, Scopus, and PsycInfo. Key words relating to biological, social, and psychological determinants as well as depression were applied to the databases, and the screening and data charting of the documents took place. We included 470 documents in this literature review. The findings showed that there are a plethora of risk and protective factors (relating to biological, psychological, and social determinants) that are related to depression; these determinants are interlinked and influence depression outcomes through a web of causation. In this paper, we describe and present the vast, fragmented, and complex literature related to this topic. This review may be used to guide practice, public health efforts, policy, and research related to mental health and, specifically, depression.