| Abstract [eng] |
Author: Gabija Žilinskienė Supervisor: Asist.dr. Diana Bužinskienė Aim: After conducting a literature review and an anonymous questionnaire survey of postpartum women, to assess the frequency of postpartum dyspareunia, the intensity of experienced symptoms, possible risk factors, women's awareness of possible sexual health problem following childbirth. Objectives: 1) To determine and evaluate the sociodemographic data of the subjects. 2) To determine and evaluate the data about childbirth, postpartum period of the subjects. 3) To assess the proportion of subjects who were informed about possible sexual health problems after delivery during pregnancy/postpartum. 4) To assess the incidence of postpartum dyspareunia among subjects. 5) To evaluate the symptoms of postpartum dyspareunia and the intensity of symptoms according to a visual analogue scale. 6) To assess the potential risk factors for postpartum dyspareunia. 7) To assess the proportion of subjects experiencing dyspareunia after childbirth who, on their own initiative, turned to a health care specialist. Methods: Before starting the research, the literature review had been conducted, subsequently, an online voluntary anonymous questionnaire was created. From October of 2022 till January of 2023 an anonymous questionnaire survey has been conducted. Women who completed an online survey form and met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Inclusion criteria: 1) the postpartum period is from 0 to 6 months and longer than 6 months (but no longer than 18 months; 2) resumed sexual activity after delivery; 3) no symptoms of dyspareunia before pregnancy. Results and conclusions: The study sample consisted of 79 women. 1) Most of the subjects were 35 years old age or younger (82,28% (n=65)), married (78,48% (n=62)), had received higher education (70,89% (n=56)). 2) Most of the subjects were primiparous women (77,22% (n=61)) and had given birth naturally (68,35% (n=54)). Nearly half of the subjects (46.55% (n=27)) who gave birth naturally had labour pain relief with epidural anaesthesia, for the same proportion of women an episiotomy was performed, in addition, two fifths (39.66% (n=23)) were diagnosed with a perineal tear. Most (67.09% (n=53)) of the women who were included in the study were breastfeeding during the study period. 3) Only a fifth (n=16) of the subjects had been informed by a health care professional about possible sexual health problems in the postpartum period. 4) As many as 84.81% (n=67) of the subjects experienced the symptoms of postpartum dyspareunia. Dyspareunia occurred statistically significantly more often in the group of subjects who were 0-6 months after childbirth, compared to subjects who gave birth more than 6 months ago. The most common symptom of postpartum dyspareunia was pain/discomfort during vaginal penetration, that is called superficial dyspareunia, which was often/always experienced by nearly half of women with postpartum dyspareunia (49,26% (n=33)). 5) Almost half of subjects, who experienced postpartum dyspareunia (46.27% (n=31)), pain or discomfort intensity during vaginal penetration and slightly more than a third of subjects (34.33% (n=23)) pain or discomfort intensity during intercourse assessed as moderate/strong according to the visual analogue scale (i.e. score 4-9). 6) According to the collected data, it was found that the statistically significant factors that may have led to a higher intensity of dyspareunia symptoms among the subjects are a shorter duration after childbirth, breastfeeding, a woman's body mass index <25 kg/m^2. 7) Less than a tenth of the subjects (8.96% (n=6)) turned to a health care specialist on their own initiative due to the symptoms of dyspareunia. |
