Sexuality, sexual behaviour and pregnancy

Does Pregnancy Play a Role? Association of Body Dissatisfaction, Body Appearance Cognitive Distraction, and Sexual Distress

INTRODUCTION

Pregnancy is characterized by physical, hormonal, and psychological changes that can affect women's sexuality, and, for those who are in a dyadic relationship, it also affects the couple's sexual relationship. On the other hand, the pregnancy state can function as a protective factor for body dissatisfaction as women embrace a new phase of the life cycle when body changes, namely more body volume, are expected.

AIM

To examine whether the effect of body dissatisfaction on sexual distress is mediated by cognitive distraction with the appearance of the body and to test a moderated mediation model of the impact of body dissatisfaction on sexual distress, with pregnancy used as the moderating factor.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 87 cisgender heterosexual women (50.6% pregnant; n = 44), aged between 25 and 40 years old (mean = 31.93; SD = 3.46) involved in an exclusive and committed dyadic relationship completed a web-based questionnaire.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Validated measures consisted of a validated general measure of body dissatisfaction (global body dissatisfaction scale), sexual distress (adapted from the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles), and cognitive distraction based on body appearance during sexual activity (body appearance cognitive distraction scale).

RESULTS

Results indicated that body dissatisfaction and sexual distress are related, but they are fully mediated by cognitive distraction. The mediation effect of cognitive distraction did not differ significantly by pregnancy status, after controlling for the trimester of pregnancy.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

This study advances our understanding of sexuality during pregnancy by evaluating sexual distress and establishing that it is a clinically relevant variable related to body dissatisfaction that deserves attention from healthcare providers.

STRENGTH & LIMITATIONS

This preliminary study uses a robust method of data analysis to test a theory-based cognitive model of sexual distress in pregnant women; however, no causality can be established.

CONCLUSION

The data highlights that pregnancy may not be a protective factor for the impact of body dissatisfaction on sexual distress. Pascoal PM, Rosa PJ, Coelho S. Does Pregnancy Play a Role? Association of Body Dissatisfaction, Body Appearance Cognitive Distraction, and Sexual Distress. J Sex Med 2019;16:551-558.

The relation between prepregnancy sexuality and sexual function during pregnancy and the postpartum period: a prospective study

This study examined the relation between sexual functions of women in prepregnancy (before conception) and during pregnancy and the postpartum period. This study was conducted on 59 healthy pregnant women. Participants were followed from the eighth week of gestation to 6 months after delivery. Sexual function during pregnancy and the postpartum period was shown to have a significant linear correlation with prepregnancy sexuality. There was no relation between pregnancy and postpartum sexuality. All of the participants who had prepregnancy sexual dysfunction continued to experience it during pregnancy, and the majority of them had a significant level of sexual dysfunction in the postpartum period. Our results showed that prepregnancy sexuality plays an important role in maintaining sexuality during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

The meaning of sexual satisfaction in pregnant Taiwanese women

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore Taiwanese women's experience of sexual satisfaction during pregnancy. Twelve participants were recruited through purposive sampling of outpatients registered in the antepartum clinic of a medical center in northern Taiwan. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews and tape recordings. A modified phenomenologic methodology and narrative analysis of transcripts yielded four essential themes related to the personal meaning of sexually satisfying experiences in pregnancy: 1) improvement of self-identity, 2) empowerment through sexual relations, 3) strengthening the marital bond, and 4) reinforcement of the value of sexuality. This woman-centered view of the significance of sexually satisfying experiences in pregnancy can help health care professionals understand and educate their clients about women's sexuality during pregnancy.